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GROUP   OF  CAMELLIA    FLOWERS 


PRACTICAL  CAMELLIA  CULTURE: 


A  TREATISE 


The  Propagation  and  Culture 


Camellia  J 


AMELLIA   JAPONICA. 


ROBERT    J.    HALLIDAY, 

FLORIST,    BALTIMORE,    M  D. 


ILLUSTRATED. 


BALTIMORE,    Maryland. 

1880. 


Entered  according  to  the  Act  of  Congress,  1880,  by 

ROBERT  J.  HALLIDAY, 

In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


Bakeu  <j^  GuDwiN,  Printebs, 
25  Park  liow,  N.  Y. 


PREFACE. 


In  the  following  pages  are  embodied  the  results  of 
more  than  twenty  years'  experience  in  the  propagation 
and  culture  of  the  Camellia  Japonica. 

Though  much  has  been  written  concerning  the  cultiva- 
tion of  this  greatly  admired  plant,  I  do  not  think  that  any 
book  has  been  published  in  England  or  America  which  is 
devoted  exclusively  to  it.  A  great  variety  of  opinions  are 
held  concerning  the  propagation  and  treatment  of  the 
Camellia,  and,  as  long  and  patient  observation  and  labor 
have  enabled  me  to  become  one  of  its  most  successful  cul- 
tivators, I  do  not  doubt  that  the  present  work  will  be  in 
some  degree  acceptable. 

I  do  not  write  for  the  instruction  of  experienced  culti- 
vators, who  are  already  familiar  with  the  propagation  of 
this  plant,  but  for  those  of  limited  experience,  amateur 
gardeners,  owners  of  small  conservatories,  and  for  all  who 
desire  practical  knowledge  on  this  subject. 

I  have  frequently  been  solicited  for  information  on  the 
culture  of  the  Camellia,  and  more  especially  for  the  pro- 
cess of  growing  alba  pletia  successfully  from  cuttings;  for 
this  process  is  new  even  to  many  large  growers,  who  are 
thoroughly  acquainted  with  all  the  methods  of  inarching, 

3 


PREFACE. 


grafting,  or  growing  the  single  and  double  red  from  cut- 
tings. 

In  the  following  pages  it  is  my  endeavor  to  present  all 
the  knowledge  which  I  possess  on  the  subject,  in  the  plain 
language  of  a  practical  Camellia  grower,  and  I  hope  those 
desiring  information  may  find  some  profit  and  instruction 
in  their  perusal. 

R.  J.  HALLIDAY. 

Baltimore  City,  Md.,  April,  1880. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PAGE 

Why  I  do  not  grow  single  stocks. — The  best  white  Camellias, 
and  how  they  are  grown  by  many  florists 17 


CHAPTER  n. 

Disadvantages  of  the  old  method  of  growing  alba  pletia  and 
all  double  varieties,  and  superior  profitableness  of  the 
new 19 


CHAPTER  III. 

The  wholesale  and  retail  price  of  the  single  red  Camellias, 
also  of  the  alba  plena,  grown  from  cuttings,  one,  two 
and  three  years  old 21 


CHAPTER  IV. 

How  to  propagate  alba  plena  Camellias. — What  is  needed 
tor  the  cutting  bed. — Kind  of  sand  to  use. — Engraving 
showing  five  thousand  alba  plena  cuttings  five  eyes 
long. — Engraving  of  box  of  cuttings  two  eyes  long. — 
Time  to  take  cuttings  from  the  plant.— Cuttings  from 

young  wood 23 

5 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  V. 

PAGE 

Length  and  size  of  cuttings. — Engraving  showing  cutting 
five  eyes  long;  also,  engraving  showing  cutting  two  eyes 
long. — The  best  cutting  for  amateurs  and  those  of  Hm- 
ited  experience  to  adopt 27 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Engraving  showing  the  kind  of  cutting  for  the  single  stock, 
or  the  double  red  varieties. — Advantages  of  long  cut- 
tings.— Number  of  cuttings  you  will  get  from  a  moder- 
ate sized  plant 29 


CHAPTER  VII. 

The  kind  of  wood  to  use. — How  to  prepare  the  sand-bed. 
— Engraving  showing  two  hundred  cuttings  one  eye 
long. — Directions  for  watering  the  sand-bed,  etc 31 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Time  to  put  cuttings  in  the  sand-bed. — Quantity  of  heat 
required. — The  amount  of  knowledge  requisite  to  grow 
them. — Cleanliness  of  bed,  etc 34 


CHAPTER  IX. 

How  long  to  leave  cuttings  in  the  sand. — Length  of  time  in 
rooting. — I  do  not  allow  cuttings  to  make  but  one 
growth. — Engraving  of  alba  plena  eight  months  in 
sand-bed. — The  size  of  pot  required  for  cuttings. — 
Treatment  after  being  taken  from  the  sand-bed 37 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  X. 

PAGE 

Engraving  of  alba  plena  well  rooted,  but  without  eyes  or 
shoots. — How  to  care  for  them,  and  have  them  form 
new  eyes 40 

CHAPTER  XL 

Engraving  showing  alba  plena  cutting  when  potted  in  June, 

all  eyes  dead ;  April  following  making  one  shoot 42 

CHAPTER  XH. 

Engraving  of  alba  plena  cutting  of  two  eyes. — Eight  months 

in  the  sand-bed. — Newly  potted  June  the  first 44 

CHAPTER  Xni. 

Engraving  of  alba  plena  cutting  five  eyes,  one  year  old,  in 

a  pot. — How  to  care  for  them. — When  to  re-pot 45 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Engraving  showing  alba  plena  two  years  old,  from  a  cutting 

of  two  eyes,  with  one  bud 48 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Engraving  showing  alba  plena  two  years  old,  from  a  five- 
eye  cutting,  without  flower  buds 49 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Engraving  of  alba  plena  three  years  old  from  a  cutting. — 
Also  engraving  showing  the  same  plant  cut  back  to 
form  a  bushy  plant  for  the  fourth  season. — Directions 
for  treating  the  same  50 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

PAGE 

Engraving  showing  double  red,  three  years  old. — How  many 
of  the  red  varieties  to  grow  in  proportion  to  the  white. 
— When  I  resort  to  grafting 53 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Engraving  showing  alba  plena  four  years  old,  from  cutting 

of  five  eyes. — Present  price  of  this  size '. 55 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

Alba  plena  planted  out  in  greenhouse. — Engraving  of  my 
double-pitch  Camellia  house,  one  hundred  feet  long  by 
thirty-two  feet  wide, — Engraving  of  my  lean-to  house, 
seventy-five  feet  long  by  sixteen  feet  wide. — The  way 
to  grow  Camellia  flowers  for  profit 57 

CHAPTER  XX. 

Plants  in  pots  and  tubs. — When  they  require  re-potting, 
top  dressing,  etc 61 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

How  to  water  plants. — The  quantity  of  water  required. — 
Three  important  matters  in  growing  Camellias. — How 
to  have  fine  flowers 64 

CHAPTER  XXII. 
Time  to  re-pot  large  Camellias 66 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

The  remedy  for  alba  plena  ■  flowers  when  they  open  a 
yellowish  color. — Putting  plants  outside  in  summer. — 
The  kind  of  a  daj'  that  Camellias  should  be  put  out  in 
the  open  air 68 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

PAGE 

Will  Camellias  stand  forcing? — Proper  time  for  them  to 
flower. — Proper  treatment. — The  number  of  flowers  I 
cut  from  the  fifteenth  of  December  to  the  middle  of 
January. — Treatment  while  growing,  pruning,  etc 70 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

On  Camellia  candidissinia. — Engravmg  showing  the  flower- 
ing variety 72 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

On  the  worthless  kind  of  candidisshna. — The  variety  that 

never  blooms 74 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

Design  of  house  for  amateurs ;  the  cost  of  erecting  it. — How 
to  grow  Camellias  with  other  plants. — How  to  treat 
them  during  the  summer  months 76 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

On  grafting. — Five  engravings  showing  single  stock. — Single 
stock  grafted. — The  best  mode  of  grafting. — The  frame 
to  receive  the  grafts. — Grafted  plant,  one  year  old. — 
Grafted  plant,  tv/o  years  old 81 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

On  grafting  for  amateurs,  or  for  those  who  have  a  small 
collection  of  Camellias. — Engraving  showing  how  single 
plants  can  be  grafted  successfully,  with  comparatively 
little  labor. — Also  engraving  of  an  ancient  process  of 

inarching 86 

I* 


lO  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

PAGE 

On  inarching. — Five  engravings  showing  how  inarching 
should  be  done. — Engraving  of  a  six-year-old  inarched 
plant. — Engraving  of  a  four-year-old  alba  plena  grown 
from  a  cutting 90 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 

On  Camellia  Japonica  for  window  gardening,  also  for  bay 

windows,  and  small  conservatories 97 

CHAPTER  XXXII. 
Soil  for  Camellias 100 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

Names  of  Camellias  that  I  grow  for  profit. — The  four  best 

white  varieties , loi 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

Eighteen  of  the  best  colored  varieties :  six  double  red,  six 

double  rose  color,  six  double  striped 102 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 

How  to  box  and  ship  Camellias. — The  current  prices  for 

them. — By  whom  they  are  principally  bought 104 

CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

How  long  Camellia  flowers  will  keep  after  being  cut  from 
the  bush 107 


CONTENTS.  II 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

PAGE 

Fertilizers. — What  to  use io8 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

On  insects  and  pests  to  which  CamelHas  are  subject. — Red 
spider,  mealy  bug,  scale,  etc. — Wash  for  the  pipes, 
etc 109 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 
On  heating ' 112 

CHAPTER  XL. 
Syringing 116 

CHAPTER  XLI. 
Ventilating  the  CameUia  houses 118 

CHAPTER  XLII. 
On  shading. — To  prevent  the  foliage  from  burning 120 

CHAPTER  XLIII. 

On  packing  Camellia  plants 122 

CHAPTER  XLIV. 
On  pruning  large  Camellia  plants ^20 


12  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XLV. 

PAGE 

The  great  necessity  for  using  only  the  healthiest  plants  for 
cuttings,  grafting  and  inarching. — No  improvement  to 
be  reached  by  forcing  the  plants 128 

CHAPTER  XLVI. 
Calendar  for  months 1 30 

CHAPTER  XLVH. 
Camellia  catalogue 137 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 

Fig.     I . — Cutting  from  a  single  eye 17 

Fig.    2. — Single  Camellia  stock,  three  years  old 19 

Fig.    3. — Represents  five  thousand  alba  plena  cuttings  in 

sand-bed. — Month  of  November. ...    24 

Fig.    4. — Fourteen-inch    square   box    of    cuttings.      Two 

eyes 25 

Fig.    5. — Cutting  five  eyes  long 27 

Fig.    6. — Cuttings  two  eyes  long 28 

Fig.    7. — Cutting  from  a  single  eye 29 

Fig.    8. — Box  14  by  14  inches.   Two  hundred  cuttings.    One 

eye  long 32 

Fig.    9. — November  cutting  rooted  the  June  following 38 

Fig.  10. — Cutting  well  rooted,  with  shoots  or  eyes  dropped 

off  or  dead 40 

Fig.  \\.—Alba  plena  eighteen  months  old,  showing  one 

shoot 42 

Fig.  12. — Alba  plena  cutting  from  two  eyes 44 

Fig.  13. — Cutting  of  five  eyes,  plant  one  year  old 45 

Fig.  14. — Cutting  of  five  eyes 47 

Fig.  15. — Alba  pletia,  two  years  old,  with  one  bud 48 

Fig.  16. — Alba  pletia^  two  years  old,  without  buds,  from  a 

cutting  of  five  eyes 49 

Fig,  17. — Alba  plena,  three  years  old,  of  five  eyes 50 

Fig.  18. — Three-year-old  alba  ple7ra,  with  top  cut  off 52 

Fig.  19. — Double  red,  three  years  old,  from  a  cutting  of  five 

eyes 53 

Fig.  20. — Alba  plena,  four  years  from  cutting — five  eyes.  .  .  55 
Fig.  21. — My  span  roof  house,  100  feet  long   by  30  feet 

wide 58 

Fig.  22. — My  lean-to  house,  seventy-five  feet  long  by  six- 
teen feet  wide 60 

13 


14  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE 

Fig.  23. — Alba  plena  in  tub.     Thirty  years  old 62 

Fig.  24. — Ca7ididissima.     The  flowering  variety 72 

Fig.  25. — Candidissima.     The  worthless  variety 74 

Fig.  26. — "  Camellia"  house,  for  amateurs  and  others 76 

Fig.  27 — Single  stock,  with  openings  to  receive  the  grafts.  81 

Fig.  28. — Grafts  inserted  and  tied  to  the  stock 82 

Fig.  29. — Frame  to  receive  the  grafted  plants 83 

Fig.  30. — Alba  plena,  one  year  from  grafts 84 

Fig.  31. — Alba  plena,  two  years  from  grafts 85 

Fig.  32. — Grafting  for  amateurs 87 

Fig.  33. — Grafting  with  bell  glass 88 

Fig.  00. — Inarching  for  amateurs 88 

Fig.  34. — Single  stock  in  condition  for  inarching "90 

Fig.  35. — Alba  plena  to  be  inarched  on  the  stock 91 

Fig.  36. — Plants  in  an  inarched  state 92 

Fig.  37. — The  inarch  growing 93 

Fig.  38. — Inarched  plant,  six  months  old 93 

Fig.  39. — Inarched  plant,  three  years  old,  or  six  years  from 

a  cutting 94 

Fig.  40. — Alba  plena,  four  years  old,  grown  from  a  cutting 

of  five  eyes 95 

Fig.  41. — Base-burning  boiler  for  a  conservatory 98 

Fig.  42. — Box  for  packing  Camellia  flowers 104 

Fig.  43. — Box  for  summer  packing  of  plants 122 


COLORED    ILLUSTRATIONS. 

I. — Frontispiece.     Group  of  Camellia  Flowers, 
2. — Camellia  Japonica. 
3. — Camellia  Alba  Plena. 
4. — Camellia  Imbricata. 
5. — Camellia  Sarah  Frost. 


INTRODUCTION. 


The  Camellia  belongs  to  a  natural  order  (the  Camel- 
liacece)  of  exogenous  plants  and  shrubs  which  are  widely 
distributed  over  the  globe,  and  include  several  genera  and 
species  of  great  economic  value.  Among  these  are  the  tea 
plant  {Camellia  Bohca  and  vindis),  also  the  English  holly, 
and  on  this  continent  the  Loblolly  bays  and  Stuartias. 

The  Camellias  proper  are  all  natives  of  India,  China 
and  Japan,  and  receive  their  generic  name  of  Camellia 
from  George  Joseph  Kamel,  D.D.,  a  German  Jesuit  mis- 
sionary to  Luzon,  who,  like  many  of  his  confraternity,  was 
a  botanist.  He  brought  them  to  Europe  in  1739.  There 
are  many  species,  all  marked  by  like  texture  of  leaf  and 
shrub-like  growth,  but  not  all  bearing  fine  flowers. 
Some  have  seeds  yielding  a  valuable  oil  (C.  oleifera)  re- 
garded as  equal  to  that  of  the  olive.  The  two  species 
most  admired  for  their  flowers  are  Camellia  Jap07iica  and 
Camellia  reticulata.  There  are  also  some  hybrids  of  these 
two,  greatly  prized  for  their  beauty.  The  Catnellia  Japoii- 
ica  has  its  specific  name  from  Japan,  where  it  is  largely 
cultivated,  but  it  is  probably  indigenous  in  both  China  and 
Japan.  The  plant,  in  its  wild  state,  bears  red  and  single 
flowers,  and  is  grown  both  in  China  and  Japan  from  the 
seed,  which  is  often  one  year  in  vegetating.     The  Chinese 

15 


l6  IXTRODUCTIOX. 

and  Japanese  have  man)'  skillful  florists,  and  they  have 
produced  numerous  varieties  and  sub-species,  and  of  va- 
ried and  beautiful  colors  and  combinations  of  colors. 
Since  their  introduction  into  Europe  and  America,  new 
varieties  of  exquisite  beauty  have  been  constantly  pro- 
duced by  the  eminent  English,  Dutch,  German,  French, 
Italian  and  American  florists,  who  have  devoted  much  time 
and  labor  to  its  propagation.  Twenty-five  years  ago,  there 
were  forty-five  standard  varieties  recognized,  but  the  genius 
of  European  and  American  Camellia  growers  have  annually 
increased  the  number,  till  there  are  now  more  than  two 
hundred.  The  Camellia  has  all  the  beauty  of  the  rose, 
though  it  lacks  its  fragrance,  and  blooming  as  it  does 
during  the  late  autumn,  winter,  and  early  spring,  it  sup- 
plies what  would  otherwise  be  a  most  serious  lack  in  the 
floral  world. 

In  this  work  is  given  the  first  thorough  and  complete 
treatise  on  the  cultivation  of  the  Ca7nellia  Japonica,  and 
one  not  borrowed  from  other  works,  but  from  my  own 
careful  study  and  observation  of  more  than  twenty  years. 
It  will,  I  have  no  doubt,  be  hailed  with  delight  by  every 
true  lover  of  the  "  Rose  of  Japan." 

ROBT.  J.  HALLIDAY. 


CAMELLIA  CULTURE. 


CHAPTER  L 


^ 


WHY   I    DO   NOT   GROW   SINGLE   STOCK. THE   BEST    WHITE 

CAMELLIAS,    AND    HOW    THEY    ARE    GROWN    BY    MANY 
FLORISTS. 

The  single  red  Camellia  Japonica,  whose  flower  is  rep- 
resented by  the  colored  plate,  is  generally  used  by  florists 
as  the  "  stock  "  on  which  to  "  work  "  the  double  varieties 
by  inarching  or  grafting. 

Inarched  or  grafted  plants 
are  usually  spoken  of  by  florists 
as  the  "  worked  "  plants. 

The  single  red  is  generally 
propagated  by  cuttings  of  well- 
ripened  wood  placed  in  the 
sand-bed  during  the  month  of 
November. 

Fig.  I  represents  the  cut- 
ting from  a  single  eye  or  joint. 
Cuttings  of  this  variety  will 
root  freely  in  from  two  to  three 
months,  but  it  will  be  three 
years  before  they  are  fit  to  use 
I" 


Fig.  I. 

Cutting  from  a  single  eye. 


l8  CAMELLIA  CULTURE. 

as  stocks  on  which  to  work  the  double  varieties  by  either 
inarching  or  grafting. 

I  prefer  grafting  to  inarching  the  Camellia,  although  I 
seldom  use  either  process,  as,  for  the  past  ten  years,  my 
mode  of  propagating  all  varieties  of  this  plant  has  been 
from  cuttings. 

As  all  the  double  varieties  are  just  as  easily  grown 
from  cuttings,  and  the  single  red  is  only  used  as  a"  stock," 
I  do  not  grow  it  at  all,  having  no  use  for  it. 

The  cuttings,  as  I  take  them,  root  freely,  and  grow 
equally  as  well  as  though  they  were  inarched  or  grafted, 
and  with  only  one-half  the  labor  and  expense.  They  will 
also  make  the  handsomest  shaped  plants. 

Alba  plena  (old  double  white)  is  in  my  estimation 
the  best  white  variety,  although  we  have  many  new  vari- 
eties, and  are  constantly  adding  to  our  catalogues.  It 
has  the  preference  with  all  large  growers. 

Nearly  all  florists  propagate  this  variety,  and  increase 
their  stock  by  growing  the  single  stock  and  working  the 
double  kinds  by  inarching  or  grafting. 

Fifteen  years  ago,  grafting  was  the  new  method  of 
working  the  Camellias,  and  is  the  only  method  used  by 
many  of  the  growers  at  the  present  time,  and  we  must  all 
admit  it  is  a  much  better  and  quicker  mode  than  the  old 
style  of  inarching.  However,  at  the  present  day,  the  pro- 
cess of  growing  successfully  all  the  double  red  varieties, 
and  alba  plena  also,  from  cuttings,  excels  grafting,  in- 
arching, and  all  other  methods,  as  you  will  find  explained 
in  the  following  chapters. 


CHAPTER  II. 


DISADVANTAGES  OF  THE  OLD  METHOD  OF  GROWING  OF 
ALBA  PLENA  AND  ALL  DOUBLE  VARIETIES,  AND 
SUPERIOR    PROFITABLENESS    OF    THE    NEW. 

It  requires  three  years  to  grow  good 
single  stocks  before  they  are  in  condition 
to  inarch  or  graft,  and  two  years  more  for 
the  inarch  or  graft  to  grow,  making  the 
plant  five  years  old  before  it  is  a  salable 
double  variety.  During  all  these  years 
much  labor  must  be  expended,  and  con- 
siderable space  occupied  in  the  various 
processes  of  their  growth.  Inarching  re- 
quires a  great  amount  of  room  for  staging, 
and  for  grafting  a  frame  is  needed  inside 
the  house. 

All  persons  are  not  successful  in  the 
processes  of  inarching  or  grafting,  the 
slightest  relaxation  of  care  producing  dis- 
astrous results. 

Simple  as  grafting  may  appear,  I  have 
seen  on  my  place,  from  one  thousand  graft- 
ed Camellias  only  two  hundred  living 
plants,  the  remaining  eight  hundred,  both 
stock  and  graft,  being  dead.  This  failure 
was  caused  by  neglecting  to  air  and  keep 

the  frame  cool. 

19 


Fig.  2. 
Single  Camellia 
Stock,    three 
years  old. 


20  CAMELLIA   CULTURE, 

Fig.  2  represents  a  well-grown  single  stock  three  years 
old,  and  is  worth  only  ten  dollars  per  hundred. 

My  way  of  growing  the  double  varieties  from  cuttings, 
makes  the  plants  salable  in  three  years.  They  are  from 
twelve  to  fifteen  inches  high,  with  from  two  to  three  buds. 
Many  of  them  when  two  years  old,  are  from  eight  to  ten 
inches  high,  with  from  one  to  two  buds  on  each  plant. 

Alba  plena,  three  years  old,  with  no  more  extra  labor 
to  grow  than  the  single  stock  grown  by  the  old  method, 
is  worth,  with  flower  buds,  forty  dollars  per  hundred, 
and  at  two  years  old,  with  buds,  is  worth  twenty  dollars 
per  hundred. 

From  the  above  information  you  can  easily  calculate 
which  is  the  best  and  most  profitable  method  of  growing 
this  plant. 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  WHOLESALE  AND  RETAIL  PRICE  OF  THE  SINGLE 
RED  CAMELLIA,  ALSO  OF  THE  ALBA  PLENA,  GROWN 
FROM    CUTTINGS,  ONE,  TWO    AND    THREE    YEARS  OLD. 

The  single  Camellia  stock,  when  in  flower,  three  years 
old,  will  rarely  bring,  at  retail  price,  twenty-five  cents 
apiece,  and  in  fact  there  are  but  few  persons  who  will 
have  it  at  any  price.  Alba  plena  Camellias,  grown  from 
cuttings  at  three  years  old,  v/ith  from  two  to  four  buds, 
are  worth,  at  retail  price,  seventy-five  cents  to  one  dollar 
apiece.  A  two-year-old  alba  plena,  with  one  and  two 
buds,  retail  at  fifty  cents.  A  one-year-old  alba  plena, 
without  buds,  is  worth  more  than  a  single  stock  at  three 
years  old. 

The  present  price,  wholesale,  for  alba  plena  without 
buds,  one  year  old,  is  ten  dollars  per  hundred. 

Single  stock,  three  years  old  (all  this  time  to  grow),  is 
only  worth  ten  dollars  per  hundred. 

Alba  plena  (old  double  white)  will  take  longer  to 
root  than  the  red  varieties.     See  Chapter  IX. 

My  experience  has  taught  me  to  grow  all  Camellias 
from  cuttings. 

Many  growers  will  say  that  alba  plena  will  not  do  as 
well  on  their  own  roots  as  if  they  were  inarched  or 
grafted. 

They  are  mistaken  in  this.  Perhaps  they  cannot  root 
them,  or  they  have  never  seen  them  grown  in  this  way. 


22  CAMF.LLIA    CULTURE. 

All  such  persons  I  cordially  invite  to  visit  my  estab- 
lishment, where  thousands  of  all  sizes  can  be  seen  at  any 
time. 

I  prefer  growing  from  cuttings,  and  I  think  the  major- 
ity of  the  trade  will  also,  as  soon  as  they  learn  the  quick 
and  profitable  modes  of  increasing  them. 

Thirty  years  ago  we  were  taught  that  the  double  red 
varieties  could  not  be  grown  from  cuttings;  and  such  a 
thing  as  rooting  alba  plena  as  easily  as  the  common  single 
red  was  not  thought  of. 

To  many  thousands  of  those  in  the  trade  at  the  pres- 
ent time  it  is  something  new. 

I  believe  that  in  the  course  of  from  five  to  ten  years 
all  the  double  varieties  will  be  grown  altogether  from 
cuttings  by  Camellia  growers,  just  as  the  rose  is  growing 
now.     Inarching  and  grafting  will  be  with  the  past. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

HOW     TO    PROPAGATE     ALBA     PLENA     CAMELLIAS. WHAT 

IS    NEEDED    FOR    THE    CUTTING  BED. KIND  OF    SAND 

TO  USE. — ENGRAVING  SHOWING  FIVE  THOUSAND 
ALBA  PLENA  CUTTINGS  FIVE  EYES  LONG. ENGRAV- 
ING   OF    BOX    OF    CUTTINGS     TWO    EYES   LONG. TIME 

TO    TAKE    CUTTINGS     FROM     THE    PLANT. CUTTINGS 

FROM    YOUNG    WOOD. 

Most  florists  have  a  house  or  bench  which  they  use 
for  the  propagation  of  cuttings. 

Place  Camellia  cuttings  in  the  coolest  part  of  the 
house. 

They  require  a  longer  time  to  root  than  almost  any 
other  cutting,  therefore  put  them  on  that  portion  of  the 
bench  where  they  will  not  be  likely  to  be  disturbed. 

For  the  propagating  bench  use  good  sharp  sand,  from 
either  a  bank  or  river,  white,  brown  or  black.  There  is 
no  virtue  in  the  color  of  it,  although  many  persons  believe 
there  is  something  to  be  gained  by  using  a  particular 
color. 

The  success  in  propagation  depends  more  on  the  per- 
son in  charge  than  anything  else. 

Sand  is  very  frequently  blamed  when  it  is  not  in  fault. 

Use  a  sieve  for  separating  the  sand  from  gravel  and 
and  clay.  It  is  not  necessary  to  wash  the  sand,  as  is  so 
often  recommended,  for  the  cutting  bed. 

23 


24 


CAMELLIA   CULTURE. 


CAMELLIA    CULTURE. 


25 


Fig.  3  shows  my  Camellia  cutting  bench,  forty  feet 
long  by  four  feet  wide.  It  contains  five  thousand  alba 
plena  cuttings  in  sand. 

Have  heat  underneath  this  bench,  so  as  to  give  gentle 
bottom  heat  when  required. 

On  this  bed  there  are  three  inches  of  sand.  The  cut- 
tings are  two  feet  from  the  glass. 

I  would  advise  all  those  who  do  not  grow  Camellias 
very  extensively  to  use,  for  propagation,  wooden  boxes 
fourteen  inches  square,  three  inches  deep  with  sand.  For 
a  sketch  of  this  box,  see  Fig.  4. 


Fig.  4.     Fourteen-inch  square  box  of  cuttings.     Two  eyes. 

The  cuttings  will  require  very  little  heat  until  they  are 
one  month  or  six  weeks  in  the  sand. 

By  using  boxes  for  the  cuttings,  they  can  be  moved 
easily  to  the  heated  part  of  the  house,  and  wh2re  they  can 
get  the  benefit  of  bottom  heat. 


26  CAMELLIA   CULTURE. 

I  prefer  to  take  cuttings  during  the  month  of  Novem- 
ber. The  wood  at  this  time  is  well  ripened,  and  we  can 
tell  which  shoots  will  produce  flower  buds. 

I  take  off  all  shoots  that  are  not  showing  buds. 

Camellias  generally  form  their  buds  during  July  and 
August.  The  buds  are  as  large  as  peas  by  the  time  we 
take  the  cuttings. 

They  seldom  or  never  form  buds  after  the  above- 
named  months. 

It  will  not  be  a  difficult  matter  to  distinguish  a  wood 
bud  from  a  flower  bud. 

The  cuttings  can  be  rooted  at  any  time  from  June  to 
January. 

I  recommend  placing  cuttings  in  the  sand-bed  during 
the  month  of  November,  to  avoid  using  wood,  which  is 
going  to  produce  flowers.  Earlier  than  the  month  men- 
tioned, it  would  be  impossible  for  many  to  distinguish  the 
wood  bud  from  the  flower  bud. 

Cuttings  of  the  young  wood  will  root  freely  and  in  one- 
half  the  time  of  ripened  wood,  but  double  the  amount  of 
care  and  attention  will  be  necessary  for  them. 

Sometimes  I  grow  from  young  wood,  but  ripened  wood 
makes  the  most  healthy  and  vigorous  plants. 

Cutting  the  young  wood  from  plants  in  the  spring, 
for  propagation,  will  often  force  the  parent  plant  to  make 
what  I  call  a  second  growth.  The  result  of  this  will  be 
no  flowers  the  coming  fall  and  winter,  therefore  I  would 
advise  all  Camellia  growers  to  adopt  the  hard  wood  system 
and  November  propagation. 


CHAPTER   V. 


LENGTH    AND   SIZE    OF    CUTTINGS. ENGRAVING    SHOWING 

CUTTING    FIVE   EYES  LONG  ;    ALSO,  ENGRAVING  SHOW- 
ING   CUTTING    TWO   EYES   LONG. THE  BEST  CUTTING 

FOR  AMATEURS  AND  THOSE   OF   LIMITED   EXPERIENCE 
TO    ADOPT. 

The  house  sand-bed  or  box  being  ready  to  accommo- 
date the  cuttings,  a  question  of  great  importance   is  to 

be  considered, 
which  will  be 
the  best  length 
of  cutting  to 
use  ?  Having 
wood  for  cut- 
tings in  great 
abundance,  I 
can,  without 
any  sacrifice, 
cut  branches 
from  four  to 
five  eyes  long. 
(Fig.  5  repre- 
sents a  cutting 
five  eyes  long.) 
By  using  this  length  cutting,  I  have  gained  one  year's 
growth  at  the  time  of  placing  the  cutting  in  the  sand. 

It  will  take  a  cutting  of  two  eyes  one  year  to  make 
the  extra  three  eyes.     Fig.   3   represents  a  bed    of    five 

thousand  alba  plena  five  eyes  long. 

27 


Fig.  5- 
Cutting  five  eyes  long. 


28 


CAMELLIA  CULTURE. 


The  cutting  of  five  eyes  long  will  not  root  any  better 
than  the  two  eye.  Your  gain  will  evidently  be  made  in 
the  size  of  the  plant  when  it  is  ready  for  potting. 

One  great  advantage  to  be  derived  from  the  five-eyed 
cutting  is,  that  when  the  plant  is  rooted  and  ready  for 
potting  it  will,  in  all  probability,  have  three  shoots,  each 
shoot  being  one  inch  in  length.     The  plant  will  be  of  a 

very  good  size,  while  the  two- 
eyed  cutting  will  only  make 
one  shoot 

When  the  wood  of  alba 
plena  is  not  very  abundant, 
it  would  be  much  the  better 
911  P^^'^  ^°  adopt  the  cutting  of 
mli  two  eyes,  as  shown  in  Fig.  6. 
At  the  top  of  the  cutting 
there  is  one  eye  with  a  leaf. 
The  lower  eye  with  the  leaf 
cut  off  is  where  the  roots  will 
form.  Where  the  wood  is 
scarce,  this  cutting  will  be 
best  and  most  profitable  foi 
use  by  amateurs  and  those  of 
limited  experience  in  Camellia 
growing. 

Alba  plena  should  alway 
be  made  in  this  way,  as  wel 
p.     ^  as  all  plants  of  the  hard  wood 

Cuttings  two  eyes  long.  kmd. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


ENGRAVING    SHOWING    THE    KIND    OF    CUTTING    FOR    THE 

SINGLE    STOCK,     OR    THE    DOUBLE    RED    VARIETIES. 

ADVANTAGES  OF  LONG  CUTTINGS. NUMBER  OF  CUT- 
TINGS YOU  WILL  GET  FROM  A  MODERATE  SIZED 
PLANT. 

Figure  7  represents  the  propagation  of  the  Camellia 
from  a  single  eye.     From  this  system  a  greater  number 

of  cuttings  can  be  obtained 
than  from  any  other  way.  The 
process  of  growing  from  a  sin- 
gle eye  will  do  very  well  for  the 
single  and  double  red  varieties. 
But  I  do  not  recommend  it  for 
alba  plena,  which  will  root  and 
grow,  but  not  until  it  has  re- 
mained a  long  time  in  the  sand- 
bed.  And  after  they  are  rooted, 
three-fourths  of  them  will  have 
what  is  generally  termed  by 
growers  blind  eyes,  or  the  eyes 
have  rotted  and  fallen  out.  (See  Chapter  X,  on  this  de- 
fect after  being  rooted.) 

For  all  varieties  of  Camellias,  should  you  have  plenty 
of  wood  to  cut  from,  adopt  the  cuttings  as  represented  by 
Figs.  5  and  6.  It  will  take  the  one-jointed  cutting,  as 
shown  in  Fig.  7,  twelve  months'  from  the  time  it  is  put  in 

the  sand-bed,  to  grow  to  the  size  of  Fig.  5  cuttings. 

29 


Fig.  7- 
Cutting  from  a  single  eye. 


30  CAMELLIA   CULTURE. 

Camellias  do  not  grow  and  make  wood  as  fast  as  the 
soft-wooded  class  of  plants  ;  therefore  judgment  and  care 
must  necessarily  be  used  in  taking  the  cuttings  from  the 
parent  plant 

Suppose  a  person  who  has  twelve  Camellia  plants,  and 
for  which  he  has  paid  twelve  dollars.  He  would  not  be 
able  to  get  over  two  cuttings  of  the  five-jointed  kinds 
from  each  of  the  twelve  plants,  in  November,  without 
taking  branches  which  have  flower  buds  on. 

The  twelve  plants  would  only  produce  twenty-four 
cuttings  of  Fig.  5.  Fifty  cuttings  will  be  produced  by 
the  two-jointed  system,  as  represented  in  Fig.  6  ;  and  by 
the  one-jointed  system,  as  Fig.  7  represents,  one  hundred 
or  more  cuttings  will  be  obtained. 

The  wood  of  this  plant  is  valuable  on  account  of  its 
slow  growth. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

THE    KIND    OF    WOOD     TO     USE. — HOW    TO    PREPARE    THE 

SAND-BED. ENGRAVING     SHOWING     TWO    HUNDRED 

CUTTINGS  ONE  EYE   LONG, — DIRECTIONS   FOR  WATER- 
ING THE  SAND-BED,  &C. 

The  wood  best  adapted  for  cuttings  is  that  of  the 
present  season's  growth.  That  is,  shoots  which  have  been 
made  in  the  spring,  can  be  used  for  cuttings  in  the  fall. 

In  taking  cuttings  from  the  parent  plant,  allow  one  or 
two  eyes  of  this  season's  growth  to  remain,  to  produce 
new  wood  and  flowering  shoots  for  the  next  year. 

All  unripened  wood  should  be  discarded.  Use  none 
but  good,  healthy,  strong  shoots  for  cuttings. 

Never  take  wood  from  a  sickly  plant ;  for  one  un- 
healthy cutting  often  ruins  the  whole  stock  in  the  sand- 
bed.  See  that  the  cuttings  are  free  from  all  pests,  such 
as  red  spider,  mealy  bug,  scale,  &c. 

Many  persons  fail  to  root  cuttings  by  neglecting  the 
very  important  matter  of  having  the  sand  solid  and  firm 
on  the  bench. 

If  the  directions  have  been  followed,  to  have  the  sand 
pressed  solid  and  firm,  it  will  be  necessary  to  draw  a  line 
across  the  bed,  to  make  an  opening  for  the  cuttings  ;  after 
placing  them  in  this  opening,  press,  with  the  finger,  the 
sand  firmly  around  the  cuttings. 

The  firmer   and   more  solid   the   sand  is  made,  the 

31 


32 


CAMELLIA   CULTURE. 


earlier  the  wound  will  heal,  and  cause  the  cutting  to  cal- 
lus ;  from  this  callus  the  roots  proceed.  Water  the  sand 
thoroughly,  after  it  is  put  on  the  bench  and  pressed  firm- 

ly. 

Figure  8  shows  a  box,  fourteen  inches  square,  with 
two  hundred  cuttings,  one  eye  long.  Put  the  stem  down 
in  the  sand  about  ij  inches,  press  the  cutting  firmly  with 
your  finger.  Water  again.  Do  not  be  afraid  of  watering 
too  freely. 

When  the  cuttings  have  just  been  stuck  in  the  sand, 
they  will  absorb  a  good  quantity  of  water  without  any  in- 
jury to  the  cutting.  More  hard  wood  cuttings  die  for  the 
want  of  water  than  from  any  other  cause.     CameUia  cut- 


Fig.  8. 
Box  14  by  14  inches.     Two  Hundred  Cuttings.     One  Eye. 


tings  will  not  thrive  if  the  sand  is  allowed  to  become  dry. 
If  watering  is  neglected  two  or  three  times,  the  leaves 


CAMELLIA   CULTURE.  33 

will  fall  off,  the  bark  shrivel,  and  you  may  as  well,  at 
once,  throw  them  on  the  rubbish  heap,  clearing  the  bench 
of  this  worthless  material  caused  by  positive  neglect. 
After  this  failure,  should  you  want  to  keep  up  a  succes- 
sion of  plants,  your  only  resource  will  be  to  use  young 
wood  cuttings,  taken  off  in  June  and  July. 


2* 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

TIME    TO     PUT    CUTTINGS    IN    THE    SAND-BED. QUANTITY 

OF      HEAT      REQUIRED. THE     AMOUNT     OF     KNOWL- 
EDGE    REQUISITE     TO      GROW     THEM. CLEANLINESS 

OF    BED,  &C. 

Place  the  cuttings  in  the  sand  during  the  month  of 
November,  about  one  inch  apart.  For  the  first  six  weeks, 
keep  both  house  and  cutting  bed  cool,  at  forty-five  de- 
grees ;  during  the  time  that  the  cuttings  are  kept  at  this 
low  temperature,  it  is  not  probable  that  they  will  require 
watering  oftener  than  twice  a  week.  I  cannot  give  any 
stated  rule  for  watering  ;  watch  the  sand-bed,  and  do  not 
allow  it  to  become  in  the  least  dry. 

During  the  six  weeks  that  the  house  is  kept  at  this  low 
temperature,  the  cuttings  will  need  to  be  syringed  three 
times  a  week.  At  the  end  of  the  sixth  week,  give  them 
gentle  bottom  heat,  with  but  little  top  heat,  or,  using  plain 
terms,  feet  warm  and  head  cool.  Keep  the  cuttings  at 
the  temperature  of  fifty-five  degrees  until  March.  Dur- 
ing this  time  they  will  need  more  water  than  when  the 
temperature  was  low.  After  the  month  of  March,  grad- 
ually take  all  artificial  heat  from  them. 

In  watering,  have  the  sand-bed  wet  thoroughly  to  the 
bottom.  A  few  pieces  of  broken  pots,  oyster  shells,  &c., 
would  be  advisable  to  use,  as  drainage,  in  the  bottom  of 
the  bench  or  box. 

34 


CAMELLIA   CULTURE.  35 

Camellia  cuttings  are  not  difficult  to  root,  but  they  do 
require  time  in  the  sand-bed. 

I  have  much  more  trouble  rooting  soft  wooded  plants. 

Cuttings  have  life  in  them,  and,  of  necessity,  require 
attention  at  the  proper  time. 

While  the  cuttings  are  in  the  sand-bed,  and  are  receiv- 
ing artificial  heat,  they  will  be  more  subject  to  pests  than 
at  any  other  time. 

At  this  particular  time,  syringing  twice  a  day,  morn- 
ing and  night,  will  be  positively  necessary  for  the  cuttings, 
and  will  greatly  help  to  destroy  the  insects. 

To  aid  in  keeping  the  sand-bed  clean,  all  dead  leaves 
should  be  removed,  as  they  are  often  the  nests  of  vermin. 

Cleanliness  in  the  sand-bed  or  bench,  is  absolutely 
necessary  for  the  health  of  the  cuttings. 

Do  not  force  the  cuttings  to  root  quickly  by  giving 
them  extra  heat.  You  will  gain  nothing  by  it,  but  will 
cause  them  to  lose  most  of  their  shoots  or  eyes. 

They  will  root,  but  it  will,  in  all  probability,  take 
twelve  months  for  many  of  them  to  make  another  shoot  or 
eye.  (See  special  chapter  of  rooted  cuttings  with  no  eyes 
or  shoots.) 

For  propagating,  it  does  not  require  a  man  of  so  much 
experience  and  skill  as  very  many  growers  suppose. 

The  best  propagator  that  I  ever  had  in  my  establish- 
ment, was  a  lad  only  seventeen  years  old,  and  who  was 
with  me  only  six  months  previous  to  taking  charge  of  this 
department. 

Having  but  little  experience  and  knowledge,  I  can 
only  attribute  his  success  in  propagating,  to  the  great  care 


36  CAMELLIA   CULTURE. 

and  attention  paid  in  watering,  shading,  airing,  syringing, 
and  keeping  his  house  and  beds  clean  and  in  perfect 
order,  also  to  the  great  fondness  which  he  manifested  for 
this  particular  branch  of  the  business. 

I  have  had  in  my  employ,  at  different  times,  men  who 
called  themselves  regular  propagators,  and  who  had 
worked  at  this  branch  of  the  business  twenty  years. 
They  could  place  double  the  quantity  of  cuttings  in  the 
sand-bed,  in  the  same  time  that  the  lad  to  whom  I  re- 
ferred could,  but,  in  the  work  of  bringing  the  plants, 
rooted,  from  the  cutting-bed,  he  far  surpassed  those  prop- 
agators of  long  experience. 

From  the  above  statement,  you  will  readily  perceive 
that  propagation  does  not  depend  as  much  on  skill  and 
knowledge  as  it  does  on  the  attention  and  care  given  to 
the  cuttings. 


CAMELLIA    JAPONICA. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

HOW  LONG  TO  LEAVE   CUTTINGS   IN    THE  SAND. LENGTH 

OF    TIME    IN    ROOTING. 1    DO    NOT    ALLOW  CUTTINGS 

TO    MAKE    BUT    ONE    GROWTH. — ENGRAVING  OF  ALBA 

PLENA     EIGHT    MONTHS    IN    SAND-BED. THE    SIZE    OF 

POT    REQUIRED  FOR   CUTTINGS. TREATMENT    AFTER 

BEING    TAKEN    FROM    THE    SAND-BED. 

In  November,  I  take  all  Camellia  cuttings  and 
place  them  in  the  sand-bed,  allowing  them  to  remain 
until  the  following  June. 

The  single  and  double  red  varieties  should  be  well 
rooted  by  the  first  of  March.  Alba  plena  will  take  from 
two  to  three  months  longer  to  make  roots. 

I  allow  all  varieties  to  remain  in  the  sand-bed  until 
June,  when  at  this  time  our  spring  sales  are  over,  and  we 
have  ample  room  in  the  houses  to  accommodate  all  cut- 
tings when  potted.  Camellia  cuttings  will  remain  a  longer 
time  in  the  sand-bed,  without  injury  to  their  roots,  than 
any  other  plant.  If  permitted  to  remain  in  the  sand  until 
June,  they  will  have  made  their  growth  for  the  season, 
and  the  wood  will  be  ripened,  as  will  be  seen  by  Fig.  9, 
which  is  a  cutting  in  June  before  being  removed  from  the 
sand-bed  to  a  pot. 

Potting  can  be  done  this  month  with  perfect  safety  to 
the  newly  rooted  cutting.  Keep  the  glass  slightly  dark- 
ened, or  just  sufficient  to  exclude  the  strong  rays  of  the 
sun.     The  glass  can  be  washed  over  with  lime  or  white- 

37 


38 


CAMELLIA   CULTURE. 


ning  to  prevent  the  rays  of  the  sun  from  beaming  too 
strongly  on  the  plants. 

All  cuttings  require  light. 

If  the  cuttings  are  left  in  the  sand-bed  until  the  time 

before  stated,  their  roots 
will  be  of  such  a  size  as 
will  require  from  two  to 
three-inch  pots  to  accom- 
modate them. 

The  smaller  the  pot, 
the  better  the  cuttings 
will  thrive.  Care  should 
be  taken  not  to  break  the 
roots. 

A  good  position  will 
now  be  necessary  for  the 
potted  cuttings,  with  the 
glass  a  little  more  shaded 
than  when  in  the  sand- 
bed. 

This  kind  of  treat- 
ment will  only  be  neces- 

•NT        K         .^-  °   '    ^  J  ♦!,    T        sary   for    a    few    weeks. 
November  cutting  rooted  the  June  •' 

following.  When  potted,  place  them 

on  the  bench  or  frame  in  the  greenhouse.  Keep  them 
rather  close  for  a  few  days,  to  encourage  them  to  adhere 
to  the  fresh  soil.  After  this  give  plenty  of  air,  keeping 
them  cool. 

Do  not  force  them  to  make  another  growth  the  same 


Fig.  9. 


CAMELLIA    CULTURE.  39 

season.  Many  of  them  will,  in  spite  of  all  that  can  be 
done. 

It  is  of  much  more  importance  to  encourage  them  to 
make  roots,  which  will  be  of  more  value  to  the  cuttings 
than  the  extra  growth. 

See  chapter  on  the  kind  of  soil  to  use. 

The  cuttings  in  pots,  for  the  present  season,  will  re- 
quire nothing  further  than  to  water  them  when  dry,  not 
forgetting  to  syringe  daily  with  clean  water. 


CHAPTER  X. 


ENGRAVING  OF  ALBA  PLENA  WELL  ROOTED,  BUT  WITH- 
OUT EYES  OR  SHOOTS. HOW  TO  CARE  FOR  THEM, 

AND  HAVE  THEM  FORM  NEW  EYES. 

Many  of  the  alba  plena  cuttings,  when  taken  from  the 
sand-bed,  have  no  shoots  or  eyes.  These  have  fallen  out, 
as  will  be  seen  in  Fig.  lo.     This  plant  is  well  rooted,  but 

it  has  dropped  its 
shoots,  in  all  prob- 
ability from  being 
kept  too  warm.  I 
find  that  the  alba 
plena  comes  more 
frequently  from  the 
sand  -  bed  in  this 
way  than  the  red 
varieties. 

Follow   instruc- 
tions  in   regard    to 


Fig.  lo. 

Cutting  well  rooted,  with  shoots  or  eyes 

dropped  off  or  dead. 


heat,  and  you  will  obviate  this  trouble. 

I  have  not  the  least  doubt  that  many  growers  would 
throw  away  these  cuttings  after  they  are  rooted,  as  being 
worthless. 

I  threw  them  away  until  experience  taught  me  better. 

The  cutting  shown  in   Fig.  lo  is  of  five  eyes,  twelve 

months  old  ;  every  eye  and  joint  is  dead,  but  it  is  well 

rooted. 

40 


,S^-»y> 


CAMELLIA  CULTURE.  4I 

Pot  all  of  these  ;  they  will  make  plants  and  form  new- 
shoots. 

It  will  pay  to  keep  such  cuttings  twelve  months  after 
being  potted.  If,  at  the  expiration  of  twelve  months,  no 
shoots  are  shown,  place  them  where  they  will  get  good 
bottom  heat,  and  they  will  show  shoots  or  eyes  in  less 
than  six  weeks. 


CHAPTER  XL 


ENGRAVING  SHOWING  ALBA  PLENA  CUTTING  WHEN  POT- 
TED IN  JtTNE,  ALL  EYES  DEAD;  APRIL  FOLLOWING 
MAKING    ONE    SHOOT. 

Fig.  1 1  shows  alba  ple?ia  cutting  which  has  been  eight 
months  in  the  sand-bed,  and  ten  months  in  a  pot,  before 

showing  any  sign  of  growth. 

The  plant  is  now  eighteen 
months  old,  and  has  made  a 
growth  of  one  inch  from  the 
top-eye. 

There  are  two  more  eyes 
Ion  this  plant,  which  are 
dormant. 

The  one  which  has  started 
growing  will  make  rapid  pro- 
gress, and  will  be  sufificient  to 

make  the  plant. 
Fig.  II.  ^ 

Alba  plena  eighteen  months  old,         Give   this    plant   one    size 

showing  one  shoot.  j^j.ggj.  ^^^  ^^^  f^^gj^  g^^j^     ^j^^ 

following  fall  take  one  or  two  eyes  off  the  top  shoot  of 
this  plant,  being  careful  not  to  cut  below  the  growth  that 
has  been  made  the  present  season.  This  will  cause  the 
plant  to  break  below,  and  make  side  shoots.     In  the  fall 

42 


CAMELLIA  CULTURE,  43 

of  the  fourth  year  this  plant  should  be  in  a  four-inch  pot, 
with  two  or  three  buds. 

This  plant  has  lost  one  year's  growth  by  having  blind 
eyes.  If  all  the  eyes  had  been  perfect  when  taken  from 
the  sand-bed,  it  would  have  been  salable  at  three  years 
old. 


CHAPTER   XII. 

ENGRAVING    OF    ALBA    PLENA    CUTTING    OF    TWO    EYES. 

EIGHT    MONTHS   IN    THE    SAND-BED. NEWLY  POTTED 

JUNE    THE    FIRST. 

Figure   12   shows  alha  plena  cutting  from  two  eyes, 
which  was  placed  in  the  sand-bed  during  the  month  of 
November. 

The  following  June,  the  cutting  being 
rooted,  it  is  placed  in  a  two-inch  pot. 

This  plant  has  made  its  growth  for 
the  season  in  the  sand-bed,  of  one  and 
a  half  inches,  before  being  placed  in  a 

pot. 
Fig.  12. 
Alba  plena  cutting  ^his  IS  the  best  kmd  of  Cutting  to 

from  two  eyes.  use  where  the  wood  is  scarce,  or  for 
those  of  limited  experience  in  Camellia  growing.  And, 
furthermore,  I  find  that  the  eyes  are  not  so  apt  to  fall 
from  the  cutting,  from  an  irregular  temperature  of  the 
house  or  from  improper  treatment,  as  those  of  the  five- 
eye  kinds. 

This  style  of  cutting  will  be  four  years  old  before  it 
will  be  salable  with  buds. 


44 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

ENGRAVING     OF    ALBA    PLENA     CUTTING     FIVE    EVES,    ONE 

YEAR    OLD,   IN    A    POT. HOW  TO    CARE    FOR    THEM. 

WHEN    TO    RE-POT. 

Figure  13  shows  alba  plena  cutting  which  was  taken 
from  the  sand-bed,  well  rooted,  and  placed  in  a  pot  dur- 
ing the  month  of  June. 
The  engraving  also 
presents  the  appear- 
ance of  the  cutting  the 
following  November, 
which  makes  it  one 
year  old. 

This  cutting  is 
made  from  five  eyes  or 
joints. 

All     the    cuttings, 
when  taken  from  the 
sand-bed,  will  not  be 
in  such  a  good  condi- 
Pig  13.  tion  as  the  one  repre- 

Cutting  of  five  eyes,  plant  one  year  old.  sented  by  this  engrav- 
ing. Three-fourths  of  them  should,  if  directions  for 
growing  them  have  been  strictly  followed.  The  balance 
of  cuttings  should  be  similar  in  appearance  to  the  one 
represented  in  Fig.  9. 

45 


4.6  CAMELLIA   CULTURE. 

You  will  readily  perceive  the  difference  between  the 
two  and  the  five-eye  cutting,  both  in  the  height  of  plant 
and  style  of  growth  ;  and  you  will  at  once  discern  the 
advantage  to  be  gained  by  growing  from  the  five-eye 
system. 

This  cutting  of  one  year  old  is  in  what  I  call  a  two- 
inch  pot ;  the  following  January  it  will  require  re-potting 
again. 

If  the  cutting  has  been  properly  cared  for,  it  will 
make  a  growth  in  March  or  April. 

The  following  fall  it  may  produce  one  or  two  buds. 

This  plant  being  only  two  years  old,  it  would  be  ad- 
visable to  take  all  the  buds  off,  and  wait  until  the  third 
year  before  allowing  it  to  show  buds. 

After  the  plant  is  three  years  old,  adhere  strictly  to 
the  practice  of  re-potting  only  once  a  year,  and  during 
the  months  of  January  and  February. 

Previous  to  this  age  (three  years),  you  can  re-pot  once 
or  twice  a  year,  or  as  often  as  you  find  the  roots  extend- 
ing to  the  sides  of  the  pot. 

The  growing  of  Camellia  cuttings  from  one  eye  or 
joint,  also  from  two  eyes,  together  with  inarching  and 
grafting,  has  been  the  way  in  which  I  increased  my  stock 
until  within  the  past  few  years. 

I  will  only  recommend  this  particular  system  of  grow- 
ing for  those  who  have  not  a  large  supply  of  wood  for 
cuttings.  As  soon  as  the  wood  becomes  plentiful  by 
growing  from  one  and  two  eyes,  and  from  inarching  and 
grafting,  follow  at  once  the  method  which  I  practice 
of    increasing    this    plant    at     the    present    day,    which 


CAMELLIA  CULTURE. 


47 


Fig-  14- 
Cutting  of  five  eyes. 


is  of    the  five-eye  sys- 
tem. 

Fig.  14  represents 
a  cutting  of  five  eyes, 
and  which  I  grow  ex- 
clusively, believing  it 
to  be  the  best  and  most 
profitable, 

I  advise  all  growers 
to  adopt  this  particular 
method  of  propagation, 
when  the  wood  is  so 
plentiful  that  this  size 
cutting  can  be  *;aken 
from  the  pa^-^nt  plant 
without  injuring  it. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

ENGRAVING     SHOWING      ALBA     PLENA     TWO     YEARS     OLD, 
FROM    A    CUTTING    OF    TWO    EYES,    WITH    ONE    BUD. 

Figure  15  represents  alba  plcfia  two  years  old,  from  a 
cutting  of  two  eyes.     This  two-year  old  plant,  which  is  in 

a  three-inch  pot,  is  four  inches 
high,  with  one  bud.  This 
bud  will  come  to  maturity 
and  open  a  good  flower,  but 
it  will  evidently  weaken  the 
plant  very  much. 

I  advise  all  flower  buds 
to  be  rubbed  off  of  plants  so 
young,  and  also  rub  or  cut 
the  top  eye  out,  which  will 
cause  the  plant  to  break  and 
bush. 

Do  all  within  your  knowl- 
edge  to  make  the  plant  grow 

Alba  plena,  two  y'ears  old.  with    strong  and  bushy  for  the  fall 
one  bud.  ^f  ^^^  ^^^^  ^^^d  fourth  year, 

when  it  can  be  allowed  to  produce  buds  and  flowers  with- 
out any  injury  to  the  plant. 


48 


CHAPTER    XV. 


ENGRAVING     SHOWING     ALBA     PLENA       TWO     YEARS     OLD, 
FROM    FIVE-EYE    CUTTING,   WITHOUT    FLOWER    BUDS. 

Figure  i6  represents  a  plant  of  alba  plena  two  years 
old  in  November. 

This  cutting  was  made  from 
the  five-eye  system. 

If  properly  cared  for,  all  the 
plants  should  average  this  size 
that  are  made  from  this  system. 

This  plant,  when  it  was  taken 
from  the  sand-bed,  had  made  a 
growth  of  one  or  two  inches.  This 
growth  was  only  from  one  of  the 
top  eyes  ;  the  balance  of  the  eyes 
remain  dormant. 

The  second  year  it  makes  a 
growth  of  the  two  spreading  shoots, 
as  will  be  seen  in  the  engraving. 
The  average  height  of  this  plant 
should  be  from  six  to  eight  inches. 

Alba  ple7ia,  two  years  old,  _,,        r  n      r    ^i  •  v,    i     i-i       r 

without  buds,  from  a  cut-   The  fall  of  this  year  rub  both  of 
ting  of  five  eyes.  ^j^g   prominent   tuood  buds   off,  to 

cause  the  plant  to  break  again,  so  as  to  form  a  low  bushy 
plant  for  the  fall  of  the  third  year. 

Plants  of  this  age  will  be  in  a  four-inch  pot,  with  two 
or  three  buds. 

The  plant  is  now  of  a  salable  size,  all  averaging  in 

height  from  ten  to  fifteen  inches. 

3  49 


Fig.  16. 


CHAPTER   XVI. 


ENGRAVING    OF   ALBA    PLENA    THREE    YEARS   OLD    FROM  A 

CUTTING. ALSO    ENGRAVING     SHOWING     THE     SAME 

PLANT  CUT  BACK  TO  FORM  A  BUSHY  PLANT  FOR 
THE  FOURTH  SEASON. — DIRECTIONS  FOR  TREATING 
THE    SAME. 

The  third  year 
most  of  the  plants 
will  be  of  a  size  to 
require  four-inch  pots. 

Figure  1 7  repre- 
sents this  age  plant 
with  three  buds. 

I  would  advise  re- 
potting now  to  be 
done  only  during  the 
months  of  January 
and  February. 

At  any  other  time 
of  the  year  the  re- 
potting might,  in  all 
probability,  cause  the 
plant  to  have  no 
flower  buds. 

By  re-potting  at 
the  time  specified, 
they  will  make  a  growth  in  April  or  May,  after  which  they 

50 


Fig.  17. 

Alba  plena,  three  years  old, 

of  five  eyes. 


CAMELLIA   CULTURE,  51 

will  harden  their  wood  and  form  buds  during  July  and 
August. 

Perhaps  only  three-fourths  of  your  stock  will  produce 
buds  this  season  ;  some  of  the  plants  will  have  from  two 
to  four  buds. 

Do  not  encourage  young  plants  to  bud  before  the 
fourth  year.  It  will  be  more  profitable  to  allow  them  to 
get  stronger  and  more  healthy,  and  to  grow  low  and 
bushy. 

At  this  age  the  plants  will  want  room  on  the  benches. 

Camellias  will  not  stand  being  crowded  as  well  as 
many  other  plants. 

Do  not  keep  them  too  close  together. 

Most  of  the  plants  will  be  from  twelve  to  fifteen 
inches  high,  with  perhaps  only  two  to  three  branches,  as 
the  engraving  shows. 

This  plant  is  strong  and  shapely  for  its  age,  but  if 
allowed  to  grow  without  topping,  it  would  become  long 
and  straggling. 

Figure  i8  represents  alba  plejta  three  years  old,  with 
from  two  to  three  inches  of  the  top  taken  off. 

These  tops  are  used  for  cuttings. 

In  topping,  alway  cut  back  to  a  good  prominent  eye  of 
the  past  season's  growth. 

In  this  way,  you  will  soon  get  wood  enough  for  cut- 
tings, and  the  stock  of  alba  plena  will  increase. 

The  plant  for  the  fourth  year  will  be  bushy  and  well 
budded. 


52 


CAMELLIA  CULTURE. 


Topping  or  cutting  young 
Camellias  back  is  an  import- 
ant matter. 

I  have  seen  among  Camel- 
lia growers  sticks  used  as  a 
means  of  support  to  young 
plants. 

I  do  not  approve  of  this 
practice  at  all. 

If  my  directions  are  fol- 
lowed carefully,  they  will  be 
strong,  and  will  not  need  sup- 
port of  any  kind. 


Fig.  1 8. 


rig.  lo. 

Three-year  old  alba  plena 

with  top  cut  off. 


CAMELLIA    SARAH      FROST. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


ENGRAVING  SHOWING    DOUBLE    RED,   THREE   YEARS  OLD. 

HOW     MANY     OF     THE     RED    VARIETIES     TO     GROW    IN 

PROPORTION     TO     THE    WHITE. WHEN    I    RESORT    TO 

.GRAFTING. 

Figure  19  represents  a  well 
grown  three-year  old  double  red 
plant  from  a  cutting  of  five  eyes. 

This  plant  has  from  eight  to 
ten  buds,  and  is  somewhat  strong- 
er than  alba  plena  of  the  same 
age,  but  in  value,  when  sold  in 
large  quantities,  and  to  the  trade, 
is  only  worth  half  as  much  as 
the  white  varieties.  When  sold 
at  retail,  both  command  the  same 
price. 

Although  the  flowers  of  many 
of  the  red  varieties  are  very 
beautiful,  they  are  in  value  only 
worth  half  as  much  as  the  white 
kind. 

In  propagating,  I  always  grow 
nine  hundred  white  to  one  hun- 
dred red. 
Fig.  19. 
-r^    , ,       ,  ,,  ,.  Alba  plena,   with  or  without 

Double  red,  three  years  old,  -^ 

from  a  cutting  of  five  eyes,    buds,  are  always  in  demand. 

53 


54  CAMELLIA  CULTURE. 

The  red  varieties  sell  very  slowly  and  in  very  limited 
quantities. 

Grow  the  white  varieties  for  profit. 

The  only  time  that  I  now  resort  to  grafting  is  when 
my  stock  of  double  reds  accumulate,  and  having  no  sale 
for  them,  I  work  alba  plena  on  them,  instead  of  using  the 
single  red  stock. 

The  engraving  shown  in  this  chapter  is  a  variety  of 
Camellia  named  Sarah  Frost.  From  this  plant  the  flower 
is  taken  which  is  shown  in  the  colored  plate. 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 


ENGRAVING  SHOWING  ALBA  PLENA  FOUR  YEARS  OLD, 
FROM  CUTTING  OF  FIVE  EYES. — PRESENT  PRICE  OF 
THIS  SIZE. 


1  ^t2  'V^''-''  •**!W:'^ 


Fig.  20.     Alba  plena ,  four  years  from  cutting — five  eyes. 

55 


56  CAMELLIA    CULTURE. 

IF  the  plants  of  alba  plena  have  been  properly  grown 
in  the  fall  of  the  fourth  year  they  will  be  in  five-inch 
pots. 

Figure  20  shows  a  plant  from  twenty  inches  to  two 
feet  high,  with  from  six  to  eight  buds. 

At  present,  the  wholesale  price  is  seventy-five  dollars 
per  hundred  ;  retail  price  one  dollar  to  one  dollar  and 
fifty  cents  each. 

Give  plenty  of  room  at  this  time  to  plants  on  the 
benches,  so  that  they  may  furnish  well  grown  and  vigor- 
ous stems. 

The  next  re-potting  this  size  plant  requires  use  of 
drainage. 

Re-pot  in  January  and  February  and  only  those 
plants  whose  roots  have  grown  to  the  sides  of  the  pots. 

Others  which  have  not  grown  so  well,  reduce  ball  of 
earth,  give  fresh  soil,  and  place  back  in  the  same  size  pot. 

Syringe  as  directed  in  previous  chapters. 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

ALBA  PLENA  PLANTED  OUT  IN  GREENHOUSE. ENGRAV- 
ING OF  MY  DOUBLE-PITCH  CAMELLIA  HOUSE,  ONE 
HUNDRED    FEET    LONG    BY    THIRTY-TWO    FEET    WIDE. 

ENGRAVING    OF   MY  LEAN-TO  HOUSE,  SEVENTY-FIVE 

FEET    LONG    BY    SIXTEEN    FEET    WIDE. THE    WAY    TO 

GROW    CAMELLIA    FLOWERS    FOR    PROFIT. 

If  you  want  alba  plena  for  flowers  or  for  the  wood, 
plant  them  in  beds  in  a  house  exclusively  by  themselves. 

Figure  21  represents  my  camellia  house  with  span  roof, 
one  hundred  feet  long  by  thirty-two  feet  wide. 

The  center  bed  is  planted  with  alba  plena,  varying  in 
age  from  twenty  to  forty  years  old. 

The  side  benches  are  used  for  the  same  plants  in  pots. 

If  you  want  good,  healthy-looking  plants,  adopt  the 
system  of  planting  them  in  beds  in  greenhouse. 

The  foliage  will  have  a  different  appearance ;  the 
plants  will  have  double  the  quantity  of  flowers,  and  will 
also  make  twice  the  growth  in  one  season  of  those  planted 
in  pots  or  tubs. 

Plants  grown  in  this  way  will  need  very  little  attention, 
and  from  these  you  will  have  plenty  of  wood  for  cuttings. 

Camellias  need  a  cool  and  moist  houses,  not  allowing 
the  thermometer  to  get  above  from  fifty  to  fifty-five  de- 
grees F.  in  winter. 

In  summer  give  to  the  plants  all  the  air  that  is  pos- 
sible. 

3*  57 


58 


CAMELLIA   CULTURE. 


Pi 


CAMELLIA   CULTURE.  59 

Have  the  house  so  arranged  that  it  can  be  aired  from 
the  sides  as  well  as  from  the  top. 

I  find  that  airing  in  this  way  adds  considerably  to  the 
number  of  buds  on  the  plants. 

During  the  summer  have  the  glass  partly  shaded,  and 
in  very  warm  weather  water  the  pathways  in  mid-day,  to 
create  a  moisture  which  will  help  keep  the  house  cool. 

Figure  22  represents  my  lean-to  house,  seventy-five 
feet  long  by  sixteen  feet  wide. 

The  bed  for  planting  out  being  only  nine  feet  wide, 
the  bench  three  feet  wide  for  plants  in  pots. 

Plants  in  this  house  grow  rather  one-sided,  and  are 
not  at  all  shapely ;  those  which  are  grovvn  in  my  span 
roof  or  double-pitch  house  are  well  shaped,  being  uni- 
form on  all  sides. 

I  would  not  advise  Camellias  to  be  grown  in  a  lean-to 
house. 


6o 


CAMELLIA   CULTURE. 


Fig.  22.  My  Lean-to  House,  seventy-five  feet  long,  by  sixteen  feet  wide. 


CHAPTER    XX. 

PLANTS    IN    POTS    AND    TUBS. WHEN    THEY    REQUIRE    RE- 
POTTING, TOP    DRESSING,    ETC. 

I  FIND  that  alba  ple7ia,  in  pots  or  tubs,  after  they  are 
fifteen  or  twenty  years  old,  are  more  difficult  to  manage 
than  those  planted  in  the  ground. 

Fig.  23  is  a  representation  of  a  plant  in  a  tub,  thirty 
years  old,  in  a  fine  flourishing  condition,  with  over  four 
hundred  buds. 

Plants  of  this  size  will  not  need  re-potting  every 
season. 

Many  of  them  will  stand  from  three  to  five  years,  and 
even  longer,  in  the  same  size  pot  or  tub. 

Judgment  must  be  used  in  regard  to  those  plants  that 
require  removing. 

Those  that  do  need  removing  will  have  an  unhealthy 
appearance,  the  foliage  will  be  of  a  yellowish  hue,  and  they 
will  have  made  but  little  growth  the  previous  year.  The 
flower  buds  will  not  come  to  maturity.  Such  a  plant 
should  be  taken  from  the  pot  or  tub,  all  the  loose  and  sour 
ground  taken  from  the  ball  one  inch  all  around,  or  until 
good  sound  roots  are  seen,  then  place  back  into  the  same 
size  or  a  smaller  pot.  Encourage  it  to  make  roots,  and 
the  top  will  soon  begin  to  grow. 

All  Camellias  over  eight  or  ten  years  old,  would  be 
very  much  improved  by  drainage. 

61 


63 


CAMELLIA  CULTURE. 


Fig.  23.     Alui pLna  \'\X.].h.     Thirty  years  old. 

Any  hard  material,  such  as  broken  pots  or  oyster 
shells,  that  will  allow  the  Avater  to  run  off,  will  do. 

I  would  recommend  putting  a  little  moss  over  the 
drainage  to  prevent  the  soil  from  mixing  with  it. 


CAMELLIA   CULTURE.  63 

When  the  plants  want  re-potting,  give  them  but  one 
size  larger  pot,  they  will  do  much  better  than  if  they  have 
too  much  room. 

A  very  good  plan,  and  one  which  I  consider  quite 
necessary,  is  to  go  through  the  houses  or  stock  three  times 
a  year  and  remove  about  half  an  inch  of  the  ground  from 
the  top  of  the  soil,  which  is  generally  part  moss,  caused  by 
the  dampness  of  the  house.  Renew  the  same  with  fresh 
soil. 

Plants  often  get  so  covered  with  this  moss  that  it  is 
almost  impossible  to  tell  when  they  require  water. 

This  is  what  is  termed  by  growers  top-dressing  the 
plant. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

HOW     TO    WATER     PLANTS. THE     QUANTITY     OF     WATER 

REQUIRED. THREE  IMPORTANT    MATTERS    IN    GROW- 
ING   CAMELLIAS. HOW    TO    HAVE    FINE    FLOWERS. 

From  the  first  of  November  to  the  first  of  March,  my 
houses  are  examined  every  day,  and  my  large  plants  in  the 
ground  are  watered  about  once  in  two  weeks. 

Those  in  pots  and  tubs,  once  in  three  days. 

The  soil  of  all  plants  will  tell  when  they  require  water. 

During  the  months  of  March,  April  and  May,  the 
plants  will  be  growing,  and  will  need  much  more  water 
than  at  any  other  time  of  the  year. 

The  plants  must  be  watered  thoroughly. 

The  top  may  have  a  damp  appearance  and  yet  the 
roots  be  dry. 

I  have  frequently  seen  plants  twenty  years  old  receive 
about  one  quart  of  \/ater,  or  enough  to  wet  the  surface. 

This  manner  of  watering  is  very  injurious,  and  if  re- 
peated often  it  will,  in  a  short  time,  prove  fatal  to  the 
plant. 

A  plant  of  this  size  will  not  require  water  every  day, 
but  when  it  does,  give  it  from  six  to  eight  gallons  at  one 
watering. 

Those  planted  in  the  ground  will  require  twice  this 
quantity  of  water  if  really  dry,  and  it  will  do  the  plants  no 
harm ;  a  great  quantity  of  water  is  here  lost  in  the  beds. 

Camellias  are  not  at  all  difiicult  to  manage,  although 
they  are  not  always  to  be  seen  in  a  satisfactory  condition. 

64 


CAMELLIA   CULTURE.  65 

The  reasons  why  cultivators  are  not  successful  are: 

First.  They  keep  them  too  warm,  and  do  not  pay 
enough  attention  to  airing  the  plants. 

Secondly.  There  is  very  seldom  sufficient  water  put  on 
them  to  wet  the  roots. 

Thirdly.  A  very  important  matter  is  syringing  or  damp- 
ening the  foliage,  which  is  very  often  neglected. 

I  do  not  find  that  syringing  the  plants  when  they  are 
in  flower  spoils  the  bloom;  in  fact  I  find  it  quite  the 
reverse. 

When  the  plants  are  in  perfection,  which  is  generally 
in  December  and  January,  the  weather  is  the  coldest,  and 
the  fires  are  rather  stronger  than  in  November. 

The  foliage  will  not,  during  this  time,  have  that  bright 
glossy  look  it  had  a  few  months  previous.  And  the  flow- 
ers, when  cut,  will  be  of  a  flimsy  texture  if  the  syringe  is 
not  used  constantly. 

Generally  about  the  holidays,  when  Camellias  are  in 
great  demand  for  the  trade,  as  well  as  for  our  retail  busi- 
ness, and  we  wish  a  good  bloom  and  firm  flowers  for  the 
next  day,  we  syringe  thoroughly  the  night  before,  not  be- 
ing afraid  of  bud,  flower  or  foliage. 

The  water  loosens  the  bud  and  causes  it  to  expand  to 
a  fine  fresh  flower,  and  in  greater  abundance  than  if 
syringing  should  be  neglected. 

They  will  carry,  packed  in  cotton,  for  three  days, 
while  others  that  have  not  been  syringed,  will  not  carry 
half  the  distance,  nor  will  they  be  as  satisfactory  to  the 
purchaser. 


CHAPTER    XXII. 

TIME    TO    RE-POT    LARGE    CAMELLIAS. 

The  best  time  to  re-pot  large  Camellia  plants  is  during 
the  months  of  January  and  February.  At  this  time  the 
plants  will  be  nearly  through  flowering,  and  many  of  them 
will  be  preparing  to  make  their  new  growth  of  wood, 
which  is  to  form  the  buds  for  the  coming  fall  and  winter's 
flowers. 

Many  growers  give  as  a  reason  for  objecting  to  re-pot- 
ting at  this  time,  that,  by  handling  the  plant,  many  of  the 
flowers  remaining  on  the  plant  will  be  spoiled. 

I  consider  that  fresh  soil  is  needed  just  before  the 
plants  begin  to  grow. 

The  young  growth  needs  nourishment. 

I  advise  all  re-potting  to  be  done  during  the  months 
named.  The  flowers  at  this  time  are  but  of  little  import- 
ance compared  with  the  advantage  the  young  growth  will 
gain  by  having  fresh  soil. 

Many  more  plants  will  require  fresh  drainage  than  will 
need  larger  pots  or  tubs. 

Do  not  disturb  good  healthy-looking  plants  until  you 
are  sure  that  the  roots  have  extended  to  the  sides  of  the 
tub  or  pot. 

It  may  be  difficult,  in  only  using  one  size  larger  pot,  to 
get  the  soil  well  around  the  ball  and  leave  no  air  holes. 

66 


CAMELLIA   CULTURE.  67 

Use  a  stick  which  is  square  at  the  end  for  working  the 
soil  down  around  the  roots  of  the  plant. 

After  re-potting,  water  thoroughly. 

The  fresh  soil  at  this  time  will  absorb  a  great  quantity 
of  water  without  injury  to  the  plants. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

THE  REMEDY  FOR  ALBA  PLENA  FLOWERS  WHEN  THEY 
OPEN  OF  A  YELLOWISH  COLOR. — PUTTING  PLANTS 
OUTSIDE  IN  SUMMER. — THE  KIND  OF  A  DAY  THAT 
CAMELLIAS    SHOULD    BE    PUT    OUT    IN    THE  OPEN    AIR. 

I  FREQUENTLY  find  my  white  varieties  when  about  to 
open  their  flowers  have  rather  a  yellowish  tinge.  This 
has  been  caused  by  the  dampness  of  the  house. 

I  obviate  this  trouble  by  giving  the  plants  a  little  fire 
about  the  middle  of  October,  and  then  only  during  the 
day,  allowing  the  fire  to  go  out  about  dusk. 

Have  plenty  of  air  circulating  through  the  house  while 
you  have  the  fire  going. 

The  fire  is  merely  to  dry  off  the  extra  moisture,  and 
will  only  be  necessary  for  two  or  three  days. 

Do  not  allow  the  thermometer  to  get  below  forty 
degrees  in  the  house  during  the  month  of  October. 

By  giving  a  little  heat  during  this  month,  the  buds  will 
be  prevented  from  showering  off  the  plants,  which  they 
are  apt  to  do. 

They  will  stand  more  cold  after  the  first  of  December 
without  injury  to  the  buds,  than  they  will  in  the  early  fall. 

The  question  is  often  asked  me:  Shall  I  put  my 
Camellias  outside  in  summer  ? 

If  the  house  has  been  kept  at  the  temperature  recom- 
mended for  Camellias  alone,  put  the  red  kinds  out,  the 

white  varieties  keep  in  the  house. 

68 


CAMELLIA  CULTURE.  69 

If  a  variety  of  plants  have  been  grown  in  the  same 
house,  adopt  the  plan  for  amateur  culture. 

My  plan  is  to  put  out  all  the  large  red  varieties,  about 
the  middle  of  May,  putting  the  pots  in  the  ground  up  to 
the  rim,  to  prevent  the  sun  from  acting  on  the  roots. 

When  these  plants  are  taken  from  the  house,  let  it  be 
done  on  a  dark,  rainy  day.  This  is  a  matter  of  great  im- 
portance, and  you  will  find  they  will  stand  the  strong  rays 
of  the  sun  without  their  foliage  burning. 

I  prefer  keeping  the  white  varieties  in  the  greenhouse 
all  the  season.  Moving  all  the  large  red  varieties  outside, 
gives  me  more  space  for  the  white  kinds,  which  have  been 
crowded  during  the  winter. 

They  will  be  greatly  improved  before  fall,  by  having 
this  extra  space  and  light. 

All  large  plants  are  improved  by  being  turned  once  or 
twice  in  a  year,  to  keep  them  in  shape. 

This  turning  the  plants  can  be  done  in  the  spring  after 
the  red  varieties  are  put  outside,  and  again  in  the  fall 
when  returning  them  to  the  house  for  the  winter. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

WILL    CAMELLIAS     STAND     FORCING  ? PROPER     TIME     FOR 

THEM        TO       FLOWER. PROPER        TREATMENT. THE 

NUMBER    OF    FLOWERS    I    CUT     FROM    THE    FIFTEENTH 

OF      DECEMBER      TO      THE      MIDDLE      OF      JANUARY. 

TREATMENT    WHILE    GROWING,    PRUNING,    ETC. 

Will  Camellias  stand  forcing  ?  They  will,  for  a  few 
years  only;  at  the  end  of  that  time  the  foliage  will  have  a 
yellowish  appearance,  and  the  plants  will  only  make  about 
half  the  growth  they  should. 

In  the  course  of  five  years,  or  even  less  time,  they  will 
only  be  fit  for  the  rubbish  heap. 

I  have  often  forced  large  plants  for  their  early  bloom. 
This  is  done  by  giving  them  extra  heat  in  early  spring. 

By  forcing  them  to  make  an  early  growth  you  will  get 
the  wood  hardened  by  the  middle  of  April,  they  will  then 
form  buds  by  the  last  of  May,  and  will  begin  to  bloom  the 
first  part  of  September. 

These  plants  will  come  into  bloom  about  the  same 
time  every  year.  The  flowers  will  not  be  as  good  as  those 
on  the  plants  which  have  received  the  proper  treatment. 

Without  this  forcing,  the  plants  should  come  into 
flower  about  the  tenth  of  November,  and  bloom  well  until 
March. 

There  is  nothing  gained  by  giving  Camellias  extra 
heat. 

The   forced    flowers    will    be    easily   detected.     They 

70 


CAMELLIA   CULTURE.  ^\ 

have  a  greenish  center,  with  only  half  the  number  of 
petals  that  they  should  have. 

My  plants  generally  begin  blooming  about  the  first  of 
November,  and  from  the  fifteenth  of  December  until  the 
middle  of  January,  they  are  at  their  height  and  in 
perfection. 

At  this  time  I  cut  from  three  to  six  hundred  daily.  I 
usually  have  two  thousand  for  Christmas  and  two  thous- 
and for  New  Year's.  Many  of  these  are  sent  west,  to 
those  in  the  trade,  at  prices  according  to  the  quantity 
blooming  at  this  time.  (See  Chapter  XXXV.)  Most  of 
my  alba  plcnce  are  done  flowering  by  the  middle  of  Feb- 
ruary or  the  first  of  March.  At  this  time  they  begin 
growing;  many  of  them  still  have  buds,  but  very  few  open 
well  after  this. 

The  plant  is  now  in  a  growing  state,  and  casts  the  re- 
maining buds. 

Give  the  plants  a  little  more  heat  and  plenty  of  water 
while  growing,  but  as  soon  as  their  growth  is  made,  give 
them  the  usual  quantity  of  air. 

Do  not  allow  them  to  make  the  second  growth. 

Use  the  knife  freely  in  pruning;  cut  away  all  the  dead 
branches,  and  those  that  are  not  in  a  healthy  condition. 
Also  top  the  long  straggling  shoots. 

This  pruning  should  be  done  before  the  plants  begin 
to  form  new  wood,  in  order  to  get  the  plants  in  a  shapely 
form. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


ON    CAMELLIA    CANDIDISSIMA. — ENGRAVING    SHOWING  THE 
FLOWERING    VARIETY. 

Of  this  famous  variety  of 
Camellia,  named  candidissima, 
there  are  two  distinct  kinds. 
They  are  similar  in  foliage,  but 
in  habit  of  growth  they  are  de- 
cidedly different. 

This  variety  generally  begins 
flowering  about  the  middle  of 
February,  and  takes  the  place 
of  alba  plena,  which  is  nearly 
through  blooming  by  this  time. 

This  kind  will  continue  to 
bloom  until  May  or  June. 

It  is  decidedly  the  best  late 
double  white  that  is  grown,  and 
should  be  in  every  collection 
where  late  flowers  are  needed. 

Fig.  24  represents  the  flower- 
ing variety. 

It  has  strong  erect  shoots 
and  is  covered  with  flower  buds. 

When  purchasing  be  sure  to 

get  the  flowering  kind. 

72 


Fig.  24.     Candidissima. 
flowering  variety. 


The 


CAMELLIA   CULTURE,  73 

This  plant  is  four  years  old  and  grown  from  a  cutting 
of  five  eyes. 

It  will  require  the  same  treatment  in  propagation  as 
the  alba  plena,  but  it  is  of  a  quicker  growth  and  will  root 
more  freely. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 


ON    THE    WORTHLESS    KIND    OF    CANDIDISSIMA. THE    VA- 
RIETY   THAT    NEVER    BLOOMS. 

Fig.  25  represents  the 
variety  of  candidissima 
that  never  flowers. 

This  plant  resembles 
the  one  represented  in  Fig. 
24  only  in  foliage,  but  not 
in  its  habit  of  growth. 

This  plant,  that  never 
'5^  blooms,  has  a  great  many 
short  joints  and  shoots, 
and  is  very  weak  and  not 
at  all  like  the  flowering 
variety,  which  is  very 
strong  and  erect. 

I  have  grown  this  kind 
myself  for  twenty  years, 
and  they  have  never  pro- 
duced bud  or  flower. 

They  are  well  known 
among  Camellia  growers. 

I  think  this  plant  was 
first  propagated  near  Phil- 
adelphia, but  it  is  now 
pretty  well  scattered  over 
74 


Fig.  25.     Candidissima.     The 
worthless  variety. 


CAMELLIA  CULTURE.  75 

the  whole  country.  I  do  not  consider  it  worth  the  room 
which  it  occupies  on  the  benches,  being  only  fit  for  a 
stock  on  which  to  work  the  double  varieties. 

This,  like  the  blooming  kind,  will  root  very  freely.  It 
is  always  offered  at  a  very  low  figure,  and  the  purchaser  is 
of  the  belief  that  he  is  buying  a  profitable  flowering 
variety. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 


DESIGN   OF    HOUSE   FOR  AMATEURS  ;    THE   COST    OF  ERECT- 
ING    IT. HOW     TO    GROW     CAMELLIAS     WITH     OTHER 

PLANTS. HOW    TO    TREAT    THEM    DURING     THE    SUM- 
MER   MONTHS. 

For  amateurs  who  have  a  house  devoted  exclusively 
to  the  cultivation  of  Camellias,  former  chapters  will  give 
all  necessary  information. 

Fig.  26  represents  a  house  sixty  feet  long  by  twenty 
feet  wide  and  ten  feet  high. 


Fig.  26.     "  Camellia"  House,  for  amateurs  and  others. 

The  cost  of  erecting  such  a  house  at  present  prices 
(1879)  would  be  about  seven  hundred  dollars,  built  of  the 
best  material  and  in  the  most  substantial  manner,  with 
brick  foundation,  and  heated  with  boiler  and  hot  water 
pipes. 

This  house  is  particularly  suitable  for  the  growth  of 

the  Camellia,  on  account  of   having  both    top    and  side 

ventilation. 

76 


CAMELLIA   CULTURE.  77 

Should  the  collection  of  Camellias  be  small,  other 
plants  can  be  grown  in  the  same  house,  if  the  Camellias 
are  kept  together  in  the  coolest  part. 

I  have  seldom  seen  Camellias  in  a  good  condition 
when  grown  with  other  plants. 

Their  general  appearance  usually  indicates  that  they 
had  not  had  the  proper  treatment,  the  foliage  is  scanty 
and  has  a  sickly  yellowish  look,  instead  of  that  fine  lux- 
uriant and  glossy  appearance,  which  the  plants  should 
have,  if  the  proper  treatment  had  been  given  them. 

The  buds  are  few,  and  have  a  dry  and  parched  look. 

I  attribute  this  failure  to  too  much  heat. 

My  opinion  is,  that  this  could  be  remedied,  to  a  great 
extent,  by  carefully  syringing  the  foliage  and  dampening 
the  pathways,  in  that  portion  of  the  house  occupied  by  the 
Camellias. 

This  syringing  should  be  attended  to  morning  and 
evening,  as  long  as  the  plants  are  receiving  artificial  heat. 

Syringing  once  a  day  will  be  all  that  is  necessary  when 
there  is  no  heat. 

As  a  general  thing  they  bloom  much  earlier,  when  in  a 
house  with  other  plants,  on  account  of  the  temperature 
being  higher  than  is  needed  for  them. 

Many  of  the  buds  will  fall  off. 

I  would  advise  leaving  only  one  bud  on  each  terminal 
shoot;  rub  all  others  off  in  September,  or  when  they  grow 
to  the  size  of  a  pea.  Those  buds  that  are  left  on  the 
plant  will  usually  mature  good  flowers. 

Very  often  there  are  three  or  four  buds  joined  in  one 


78  CAMELLIA  CULTURE, 

cluster,  and  they  would  all  bloom  if  they  had  a  house  by 
themselves;  but  when  in  a  house  with  other  plants,  the 
heat  which  is  required  to  keep  these  plants  in  health, 
causes  the  buds  from  the  Camellias  to  fall  off. 

I  do  not  recommend  setting  white  Camellias  out  in 
summer,  except  when  they  have  been  grown  in  a  house  with 
other  plants,  and  at  a  higher  temperature  than  they  really 
require.  All  such  plants,  if  put  out  during  the  summer 
months,  will  be  very  much  benefited  by  the  change. 

Put  them  out  as  early  as  practicable,  or  as  soon  as  the 
wood  is  hardened,  and  there  is  no  danger  of  frost. 

Plunge  them  in  the  ground  up  to  the  rim  of  the  pot, 
on  a  wet  day. 

Keep  them  in  a  cool,  shady  situation,  but  not  under 
trees. 

They  had  better  have  the  strong  rays  of  the  sun,  than 
to  be  under  a  drip. 

There  is  no  danger  of  the  sun  burning  the  foliage,  if  the 
precautions  are  taken,  which  have  been  already  given.  The 
foliage  will  become  hardened  before  the  sun  strikes  them. 

If  put  out  while  the  sun  is  shining,  the  leaves  will 
burn,  and  most  of  them  fall  off,  and  the  plant  will  not  be 
fit  for  the  greenhouse,  the  coming  fall. 

Do  not  allow  the  plants  to  remain  outside  later  than 
September.  See  that  they  are  free  from  insects.  Also 
give  a  top  dressing  of  fresh  soil  to  each  plant  before  re- 
turning them  to  the  greenhouse. 

Camellias  which  have  been  grown  with  a  variety  of 
plants,  will  require  the  knife  to  be  used  very  freely  just 
before  they  begin  to  make  their  growth. 


CAMELLIA   CULTURE.  79 

Many  branches  will  be  found  with  dormant  or  dead 
eyes,  which  have  been  caused  by  too  much  heat.  All 
such  eyes  should  be  cut  away;  they  are  only  robbing  the 
good  shoots  of  the  nourishment  they  need. 

The  prominent  eyes  will  give  sufficient  bloom.  For 
potting,  shading,  etc.,  see  former  chapters  and  calendar 
for  the  months. 

Let  me  sum  up,  then,  briefly,  the  errors  to  be  avoided 
by  amateurs  in  Camellia  culture: 

I  St.  Do  not  attempt  to  mix  your  Camellias  with  other 
plants  in  your  greenhouse  or  conservatory.  If  you  can- 
not have  a  separate  house  for  them,  put  them  by  them- 
selves in  the  coolest  place  in  your  greenhouse. 

2d.  Do  not  let  them  have  too  much  heat.  As  much 
as  other  plants  need  will  be  fatal  to  them,  except  in  Feb- 
ruary, March  and  April,  when  they  are  making  new  wood. 
The  temperature  should  not  be  higher  than  from  forty  to 
fifty  degrees.  During  those  months  it  may  gradually  be 
brought  up  to  sixty-eight  or  seventy  degrees,  and  as 
gradually  reduced  to  the  old  temperature. 

3d.  Don't  let  them  bud  or  blossom  too  soon,  nor  too 
much.  If  a  two  year  old  alba  plena  ventures  to  put  out 
one  or  two  flower  buds,  pick  them  off  without  hesitation. 
If  a  three  year  old  plant  puts  out  many  buds,  it  is  better 
to  sacrifice  all,  or  nearly  all  of  them,  in  order  to  have 
strong,  healthy  plants. 

4th.  Don't  force  them  to  produce  a  second  grov/th  in 
June  or  July.  The  result  of  this  second  growth  would  be 
no  buds  or  flowers  for  the  coming  winter,  and  your  plants 
will  eventually  become  sickly  and  die. 


8o  CAMELLIA   CULTURE. 

5th.  Do  not  omit  the  daily  syringing  and  the  thorough 
watering  when  your  plants  are  dry.  You  wash  your  face 
every  day,  but  you  do  not  ordinarily  take  a  full  bath 
oftener  than  once  a  week.  Treat  your  Camellias  as  you 
treat  yourself,  and  they  will  be  the  better  for  it. 

6th.  Keep  your  alba  plena  Camellias  in  the  house  dur- 
ing the  summer,  if  they  can  be  properly  cared  for  there, 
unless  they  have  been  crowded  through  the  winter  and 
spring  months,  then  they  will  be  the  better  for  having 
more  room. 

7th.  If  you  do  put  them  out,  let  it  be  done  on  a  rainy 
day;  prune  them  carefully  first;  plunge  them  up  to  the  rim 
of  the  pot;  do  not  put  them  too  near  together;  put  them 
out  after  the  last  frost  in  the  spring,  and  take  them  up 
before  there  is  a  possibility  of  frost  in  the  fall. 

8th.  Be  careful  to  keep  all  insect  pests  from  them,  red 
spider,  scale,  mealy  bug,  etc.,  etc.,  following  the  directions 
given  elsewhere  in  this  book. 

9th.  When  they  are  in  the  greenhouse,  air  them  freely 
as  directed. 

loth.  Don't  try  experiments  with  them;  you  will  lose 
too  much  if  you  do.  Leave  that  to  the  men  who  have 
thousands  of  them  growing. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 


ON      GRAFTING. — FIVE      ENGRAVINGS      SHOWING       SINGLE 

STOCK. SINGLE    STOCK    GRAFTED. — THE    BEST    MODE 

OF       GRAFTING. THE       FRAME       TO       RECEIVE        THE 

GRAFTS. GRAFTEP       PLANT,       ONE        YEAR        OLD. 

GRAFTED    PLANT,    TWO    YEARS    OLD. 

For  the  benefit  of  those  who  still 
practice  grafting,  I  will  here  endeavor  to 
give  the  best  means  by  which  it  can  be 
accomplished. 

Of  late  years,  grafting  has  been  more 
practiced  by  growers  than  inarching. 

It  is  much  less  labor,  and  where  two 
grafts  are  inserted  in  the  stock,  makes  de- 
cidedly a  more  shapely  plant. 

Fig.  27  represents  a  single  stock  with 
openings  to  receive  the  grafts  of  the  dou- 
ble kind. 

The  grafts  should  be  of  only  one  eye 
long,  and  will  be  seen  on  the  plant  repre- 
sented in  the  engraving. 

This  graft  is  pared  or  sliced  on  both 

Single  stock,  with  sides,  and  made  to  fit  the  cuts   in    the 
openings  to  re- 
ceive the  grafts.   Stock  as  accurately  as  possible. 

I  place    two   grafts   in  the  stock,  but  most    growers 

only  use  one. 

4*  81 


Fig.  27. 


82 


CAMELLIA   CULTURE. 


By  adopting  this  plan  of  using  two  grafts,  you  are 
always  sure  of  bringing  one  out  of  the  frame  alive,  and 
should  the  two  live,  you  will  have  a  much  better  plant  in 
the  same  length  of  time. 

In  grafting,  first  cut  the  stock  one-quarter  of  the  way 
through,  and  about  a  half  of  an  inch  down,  then  insert  the 
graft  which  has  been  sliced  on  both  sides,  tie  with  cord 
or  bass  matting  to  keep  the  graft  in  position,  as  repre- 
sented in  Fig.  28. 

After  being  tied,  use  a  little  clay 
around  the  grafts  to  keep  the  drip  and 
moisture  which  will  form  in  the  frame 
from  entering  into  the  newly-made 
wound. 

Take  a  few  inches  of  the  wood 
from  the  top  of  the  single  stock,  and  it 
will  be  of  great  benefit  to  the  grafts. 

A  close  frame  will  be  necessary  for 
this  operation  inside  of  the  greenhouse, 
to  receive  the  plants  after  they  have 
been  grafted. 

Fig.  29  represents  the  kind  of 
frame  which  is  used  for  this  purpose. 

Lay  the  plants  on  their  sides,  as 
shown  in  the  engraving. 
Fig.  28.  Grafting  can  be  done  very  success- 

Grafts  inserted  and   fully  during  July  and  August, 
tied  to  the  stock. 

Have  the  frame  placed  m  the  cool- 


CAMELLIA  CULTURE. 


83 


est  part  of  the  house,  with  the  temperature  kept  as  low 
as  possible. 

In  two  months  the  graft  will  be  firmly  united  to  the 
stock,  and  can  be  removed  from  the  frame  to  the  bench 
in  the  greenhouse. 


Fig.  29.     Frame  to  receive  the  grafted  plants. 

Grafting  can  be  done  in  January,  but  not  with  so 
much  success  attending  it  as  during  July  and  August. 

I  would  advise  that  it  be  done  during  the  summer 
months. 

If  grafting  is  done  in  January,  keep  the  grafts  in  the 
frame  at  a  temperature  of  about  fifty  degrees,  then  gradu- 
ally increase  the  heat  to  sixty  or  seventy  degrees. 


84 


CAMELLIA   CULTURE. 


Keep  the  temperature  about  the  same  for  three  weeks. 
At  the  end  of  this  time  you  will  find  them  firmly  united, 
and  many  of  them  beginning  to  grow. 

When    you   find    them  starting   their   young   growth, 
gradually  get  them  back  to  lower  temperature. 
January  grafts  take  about  six  weeks  to  unite. 
August  grafts  two  months. 

When  the  grafts  have  united,  the  cords  with  which 
they  have  been  tied  will  need  loosening,  ps  the  stock  at 
this  time  will  be  swelling. 

Remove  the  cord  and  tie  again  more  loosely. 
This  is  done  only  to  keep  the  graft  from  being  broken 
by  careless  handling,  etc. 

Do  not  encourage  January  grafts 
to  make  but  the  one  growth,  and  they 
will  have  made  this  before  taking  them 
out  of  the  frame. 

The  stocks,  two  or  three  weeks 
after  being  grafted,  will  have  a  tend- 
ency to  grow,  and  show  shoots  below 
the  graft;  these  should  be  taken  off. 

Do  not  allow  any  portion  to  grow 
but  the  newly-inserted  graft. 

One  man  will  be  able  to  graft  three 
hundred,  putting  two  grafts  in  each 
stock,  tie  and  clay  the  same  in  one 
day. 

For  those  who  have  had  experience 

Fig.  30.  in  growing  Camellias,  I  would  advise 

Alba  plena,  one   year    „^„(^-„ 
from  rrafts.  g^^ftrng. 


CAMELLIA   CULTURE. 


85 


For  others,  they  had  better  adopt  the  slower  process 
of  inarching. 

Fig.  30  represents  alba  plena  one  year  old  from  graft; 
both  grafts  are  growing. 

This  is  what  is  called  a  four-year  old  grafted  plant; 
the  stock  being  three  years  old  before  it  was  grafted. 

Growing  alba  plena  from  cuttings  at  four  years  old, 
will  be  much  larger  and  with  flower  buds,  none  of  the 
extra  labor  required,  as  for  grafting. 

If  growing  for  profit,  adopt  the  plan  of  growing  from 
cuttings. 

In  four  years  the  plants  will  be  salable  with  buds. 

This  grafted  plant  will  re- 
quire to  be  two  years  old  from 
graft,  or  five  years  old  from 
cuttings,  before  it  is  salable, 
with  buds,  and  it  will  not  be 
the  size  of  the  four-year-old 
alba  plena  from  a  cutting. 

Fig.  31  represents  a  plant 
two  years  old  from  the  graft, 
or  five  years  from  cutting, 
with  buds  on. 

In  grafting,  many  of  the 
eyes  will  fall  out  from  the 
graft. 

Give  all  such  plants  a  lit- 
tle extra  heat   the  following 
pj^  March,    and    they   will    pro- 

Al'ua  plena,  two  years  from  grafts,   duce  new  shoots  or  eyes. 


CHAPTER   XXIX. 

ON  GRAFTING  FOR  AMATEURS,  OR  FOR  THOSE  WHO 
HAVE  A  SMALL  COLLECTION  OF  CAMELLIAS. EN- 
GRAVING SHOWING  HOW  SINGLE  PLANTS  CAN  BE 
GRAFTED       SUCCESSFULLY,       WITH        COMPARATIVELY 

LITTLE     LABOR. ALSO     ENGRAVING    OF     MY     PROCESS 

OF    INARCHING. 

Former  chapters  of  this  book  tell  how  grafting  ought 
to  be  done,  and  the  kind  of  wood  to  be  used;  also  the 
time  it  takes  to  perform  this  work. 

I  have  often  seen  in  amateur  collections  many  single 
and  semi-double  varieties,  which  are  of  very  little  value 
for  their  flowers. 

These  can  be  made  of  some  value  by  grafting  them 
with  some  good  double  kind. 

One  great  advantage  which  is  to  be  gained  in  grafting 
old  plants  is,  that  in  two  years,  the  plant  will  be  as  large 
as  it  was  before  it  was  cut  down  for  grafting. 

The  growth  the  first  season  will  probably  be  from  six 
to  twelve  inches. 

The  second  season  it  will  bud  and  bloom  with  perhaps 
one  dozen  flowers. 

Fig.  32  represents  a  semi-double  plant,  cut  back  and 
grafted. 

Hyacinth  glasses  are  used  here  to  cover  and  protect 
the  grafts. 

86 


CAMELLIA   CULTURE. 


87 


Use  a  little  moss  to  fill  in  the  opening  of  the  glasses  to 
keep  them  partly  air-tight. 

This  grafting  can  be  done  in  any  portion  of  the  green- 
house, conservatory  or  pit. 

When  hyacinth  glasses  are 
used,  no  frame  is  required. 

Shade  the  glass  with  paper 
in  the  middle  of  the  day  for 
two  weeks,  then  this  extra 
shading  can  be  dispensed  with. 
At  the  expiration  of  three 
weeks,  pull  a  portion  of  the 
moss  from  the  mouth  of  the 
glass,  in  order  to  give  the 
graft  a  little  more  air,  as  it 
should  be  uniting  by  this 
time. 

At  the  end  of  the  fifth 
week  remove  all  the  moss 
from  the  glass,  still  allowing 
the  glass  to  remain  over  the 
graft  for  one  or  two  weeks 
longer. 

At  the  end  of  the  seventh 
or  eighth  week,  take  the  glass 
off  altogether. 
The  graft  at  this  time  should  be  firmly  united  to  the 
stock. 

Shade  the  plant  well  for  a  few  days  after  removing  the 
glass. 


Grafting  for  amateurs. 


CAMELLIA   CULTURE. 


Fig.  33- 

Grafting  with  bell 

glass. 


For  small  plants,  adopt  the  plan 
which  is  represented  in  Fig.  ;^;^  of  a 
bell  glass,  in  which  six  plants  can  be 
grafted  at  one  time. 

Be  sure  at  all  times  to  give  a  little 
air  at  the  bottom  of  the  glass;  this 
will  not  only  give  them  air,  but  will 
tend  to  dry  up  the  heavy  moisture, 
which  is  so  destructive  in  grafting. 

Do  not  hurry  them  to  unite,  and 
you  will  preserve  the  young  shoots  of 
graft,  which  are  so  often  lost  by  giv- 
ing extra  heat. 

Another  mode  for  working  the 
Camellia  is  very  similar  to  inarching, 
and  which  will  be  seen  represented  in 
Fig.  CO. 

This  engraving  shows  how  the 
operation  is  to  be  performed. 

Take  a  branch  of  some  good  vari- 
ety which  you  wish  to  work  on  the 
single  and  semi-double  kind,  and 
place  it  in  a  bottle  of  water. 

Slice  a  little  piece  of  wood  from 
the  branch  which  is  in  the  water,  and 
also  the  same  sized  piece  from  the  stock,  then  tie  the 
branch  and  stock  together,  as  represented  in  the  engrav- 
ing; by  this  process  they  will  readily  unite  in  four  weeks. 
This  work  can  be  done  at  any  season  of  the  year,  ex- 
cept when  the  plants  are  in  a  growing  state. 


Fig.  oo. 

laarching  for  ama- 
teurs. 


CAMELLIA   CULTURE.  89 

The  water  in  the  bottle  will  supply  nourishment  to  the 
branch  which  is  without  roots. 

Although  this  is  by  no  means  a  modern  way  of  working 
this  plant,  it  will  be  found  to  be  a  very  interesting  process 
to  amateurs  and  others  who  have  but  few  plants. 

For  information  which  is  wanted  on  this  subject,  and 
which  is  not  contained  in  this  chapter,  see  chapters 
XXVIII    and   XXX. 


CHAPTER   XXX. 


ON  INARCHING. FIVE  ENGRAVINGS  SHOWING  HOW  IN- 
ARCHING SHOULD  BE  DONE. ENGRAVING  OF  A  SIX- 
YEAR-OLD      INARCHED      PLANT. ENGRAVING      OF       A 

FOUR-YEAR       OLD       ALBA       PLENA      GROWN      FROM      A 
CUTTING. 

Inarching  is  grafting  by 
uniting  a  scion  to  a  stock  with- 
out separating  it  from  its  parent 
plant. 

I  would  advise  this  mode  of 
working  the  Camellia  for  those 
who  have  but  few  plants,  or 
those  with  limited  experience. 

Fig.  34  represents  the  single 
stock  with  a  small  piece  of  the 
wood  and  bark  sliced  off  at  the 
side. 

This  is  where  the  union  of 
both  plants  is  to  be  made. 

If  you  want  low  bushy 
plants,  place  the  inarch  on  the 
stock  as  low  down  as  possible, 
as  will  be  seen  in  the  engraving. 

July  and  August  are  the  best 

months    for   inarching,   as   the 

wood  of  both  plants  is  generally 
Fig.  34.     Single  stock  in  con-       _      • 

dition  for  inarching,  ripened,  and  will  unite  quickly. 

90 


CAMELLIA  CULTURE. 


91 


Inarching  can  be  done  also  in  February,  or  just  before 
the  plant  begins  to  grow,  with  the  same  success  as  in  July 
or  August. 

Fig.  35  represents  a  plant  of  alba  plena  which  is  to  be 
inarched  on  the  stock. 

The  engraving  shows  a  slice  of  one  inch  long  taken  off 
the  double  kind  just  three  eyes  from  the  top. 

The  inarch  should 
never  be  of  more  than 
two  to  three  eyes  or 
joints  long. 

Make  both  cuts 
alike,  so  as  to  fit  as 
accurately  as  possi- 
ble; join  together  and 
tie  with  cord  or  bass 
bark,  as  represented 
in  Fig.  2,(>- 

Inarching  can  be 
done  in  any  part  of 
the  house,  as  there  is 
no  close  frame  re- 
quired. 

In  watering  these 
newly  inarched  plants 
do  not  allow  any  of 
the    water    to    come 

■c-     ^,  in    contact    with   the 

Fig-  35. 

Alba  plena  to  be  inarched  on  the  stock,     union      of      the      two 


92 


CAMELLIA   CULTURE. 


plants  for  three  or  four  days.      After  this  time  syringe 
twice  a  day. 

If  done  according  to  the  directions  given  here,  in  four 
weeks  the  plants  will  be  united. 

By  examining  them  at  the  stated  time,  after  they  have 
been  inarched,  you  will  find  the  barks  joined  firmly 
together. 

All  such   should  be  cut  half  way  through,  and  at  the 
same  time  cut  half  of  the  top  from  the  single  stock. 
This  will  cause  the  inarch  to  half  support  itself. 
About  the  sixth  week  you  can  cut  the  inarch  off  en- 
tirely, as  Fig.  37  represents,  allowing  one  or  two  inches  of 
the  single  stock  to  remain  above  the  inarch. 

This  is  merely  done  for  a 
protection  to  the  inarch,  and 
can  be  removed  at  any  time 
after  two  months. 

The  bands  or  cords  should 
be  removed  as  soon  as  the 
inarch  is  cut  loose  from  the 
parent  plant. 

Tie  again  more  loosely. 
This  second  tying  is  very 
important,  as  some  of  the 
plants  may  not  be  as  firmly 
united  as  they  appear  to  be, 
and  this  will  hold  all  such  in 
their  place. 

If   the  plants  have  been 

T,,     ,   .       ^^*  ^  ",    ,  properly  cared  for  that  were 

rlants  in  an  marched  state. 


CAMELLIA  CULTURE. 


93 


inarched  in  August,  they  will 
need  re-potting  the  following 
January,  and  will  have  the  ap- 
pearance of  Fig.  ;^8. 

This  plant  will  make  a 
young  growth,  in  February  or 
March,  of  from  two  to  four 
inches,  and,  by  August,  the  top 
of  this  inarched  plant  can  be 
used  to  work  the  single  stock 
again,  or  it  can  be  taken  off 
•t^   the  following  fall  for  a  cutting. 

This  will  cause  the  plant  to 
grow  bushy,  and  the  next  fall 
Fig.  37-    The  inarch  growing,    the  plant  will  be  well  budded. 

This  is  the  second  year  after 
being  inarched,  or  the  fifth  year 
from  the  cutting ;  but  bear  in 
mind  that  the  stock  was  three 
years  old  when  inarched. 

Continue  this  practice  and 
the  stock  of  this  plant  will  in- 
crease, but  not  as  fast  as  if 
grown  from  cuttings. 

For   inarching   have    good, 
healthy  stocks  to  work,  and  not 
Txt0^  less  than  three-year-old  plants. 

To  make  a  success  of  this 

work    much    depends    on    the 

health    and    strength     of    the 
Fig.  38.     Inarched  plant,  six 

months  old.  Stocks. 


94 


CAMELLIA   CULTURE. 


If  the  directions  are  followed  strictly  for  inarching, 
the  loss  should  not  be  more  than  one  in  one  hundred. 

The  best  stock  to  use  is  the  single  red,  although  any- 
good  strong-growing  double  red  will  answer. 

There  is  a  variety  of  Camellia  named  Mary  Edmond- 
son,  a  small  double  white  flower  of  very  rapid  growth, 
which  roots  very  freely. 

Plants  of  this  variety  are  as  large  at  two  years  old  as 
any  of  the  others  are  at  three. 


Fig-  39- 
Inarched  plant  three  years  old,  or  six  years  from  a  cutting. 


CAMELLIA  CULTURE, 


95 


I  consider  this  variety  the  best  to  grow  for  a  stock  to 
inarch  or  graft  on. 

Fig.  39  represents  a  well-grown  inarched  plant.  This 
has  been  inarched  three  years.  The  stock  is  the  same 
age,  making  the  plant  from  cutting  six  years  old,  well 
budded  and  of  a  salable  size. 


Fig.  40, 


Alba  plena,  four  years  old,  grown  from  a  cutting  of  five  eyes. 


96  CAMELLIA  CULTURE. 

At  present  prices,  this  plant  is  worth  from  seventy-five 
to  one  hundred  dollars  per  hundred. 

Fig.  40  represents  alba  ;plena  grown  from  a  cutting  of 
five  eyes. 

This  plant  is  four  years  old,  well  grown  and  finely 
budded. 

Worth,  at  present  prices,  seventy-five  to  one  hundred 
dollars  par  hundred. 

It  is  equally  as  good  in  every  respect  as  the  six-year- 
old  inarched  plant. 

It  has  grown  to  this  size  with  half  the  cost  of  the  in- 
arched plants,  and  is  worth  as  much  at  four  years  old  as 
the  inarched  plant  is  at  six. 

I  would  advise  all  that  possibly  can  to  follow  growing 
alba  plena  from  cuttings. 


CHAPTER   XXXL 

ON    CAMELLIA    JAPONICA    FOR  WINDOW    GARDENING,   ALSO 
FOR    BAY    WINDOWS    AND    SMALL    CONSERVATORIES. 

Camellias  are  plants  greatly  admired  by  ladies,  and 
are  used  extensively  for  windows  and  parlors. 

This  plant  is  recommended  by  many  growers  for  win- 
dow gardening. 

My  opinion  is,  that  perhaps  not  more  than  one  person 
in  one  hundred  will  succeed  in  growing  this  plant. 

Time  and  money  might  be  more  profitably  spent  on 
plants  that  do  not  require  such  a  cool  and  moist  atmos- 
phere as  the  Camellia. 

Dwellings  are  kept  too  warm  and  without  any  mois- 
ture ;  in  such  an  atmosphere  this  plant  will  not  thrive. 
A  Camellia  brought  from  a  florist  in  the  fall,  will  perhaps 
flower  what  buds  are  on  it ;  these  will  probably  be  the 
last  flowers  you  will  see  on  this  plant. 

The  next  season  the  plant  may  show  flower  buds,  but 
the  chances  of  this  are  very  doubtful,  and  should  it  bud, 
the  buds  generally  fall  off  soon  after  being  brought  into 
the  house. 

Many  thousand  persons  have  tried  to  grow  them  in 
this  way,  and  many  will  yet,  without  any  better  success. 

If  you  have  a  bay  window  which  is  inclosed  to  ex- 
clude the  dry  atmosphere  of  the  house  from  the  window, 
the  chances  of  the  plant  will  be  much  better. 

5  91 


58 


CAMELLIA   CULTURE. 


You  can  succeed  well  with  them  by  growing  them  in 
pits  or  frames,  and  removing  them  to  your  dwelling  when 
they  are  in  flower. 

If  you  have  a  porch 
in  the  rear  of  your  dwel- 
ling, which  can  be  easily 
converted  into  a  con- 
servatory for  the  plants, 
have  the  sash  made  to 
fit  it  closely  between  the 
pillars.  This  can  be  re- 
moved in  the  summer 
and  the  plants  put  in 
the  yard. 

I  would  recommend 
for  heating  such  a  con- 
servatory a  base-burning 
boiler,  which  is  repre- 
sented in  the  engraving. 
This  heating  appara- 
tus is  complete,  and  can 
be  put  up  by  any  plumb- 
er. The  boiler  is  made 
of  two  double  cylinders; 
the  water  circulates 
through  both.  The  inner 
double  cylinder  forms 
the  magazine  for  fuel, 
while  the  outer  one 
forms  the  fire  box,  and   makes  an  annular  smoke-flue  be- 


The  size  of  boiler  is  as  follows  : 


Size  of 
Grate. 

Height 
Boiler. 

Diam.  at        Size  of 
Bottom.        Sockets. 

9  inches. 

2  it.  lo  in. 

2  feet 

2Min. 

CAMELLIA   CULTURE.  99 

tween  the  cylinders.  When  not  used  as  a  self-feeder,  the 
inner  cylinder  becomes  a  flue,  and  increases  the  heating 
surface.  The  boiler  may  be  used  to  heat  the  room  it 
stands  in,  and,  by  circulation  of  water  through  pipes,  will 
warm  other  rooms  or  a  greenhouse  at  a  distance.  Fire 
may  be  kept  twelve  hours  without  attention.  This  boiler 
is  calculated  to  heat  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  of  four- 
inch  pipe. 

The  grate  may  be  shaken  or  dumped. 

This  is  designed  especially  to  meet  the  wants  of  ama- 
teur florists  for  regular  conservatories. 

Such  a  boiler,  without  pipes,  is  worth  thirty  dollars. 

For  heating  a  bay  window,  use  a  coal-oil  stove,  from 
which  there  is  no  gas  or  smoke  ;  place  a  pan  of  water  on 
the  top  of  the  stove  to  create  a  moisture. 

The  price  of  such  a  stove  is  from  six  to  eight  dollars, 
and  can  be  had  at  any  seedsmen. 

Camellias  grown  with  so  much  heat  and  so  little  mois- 
ture will  need  the  foliage  washed  often. 

I  recommend  the  following  wash  to  be  used  once  a 
month,  with  a  daily  syringing  of  clear  water,  as  fumigat- 
ing with  tobacco,  &c.,  is  very  objectionable  for  either  bay 
window  or  conservatory. 

Receipt  for  wash  to  be  used  by  amateur  florists  for 
plants  infested  with  insects  :  Eight  gals,  of  soap  suds,  one 
quarter  of  a  pound  of  flour  of  sulphur  ;  stir  well  together, 
adding  a  little  soft  soap. 

Dip  the  plants  in  this  solution,  and  a  soapy  gloss  will 
cling  to  the  foliage  which  will  not  be  objectionable  to  the 
eye.     Insects  will  not  be  apt  to  infest  them  soon  again. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

SOIL    FOR    CAMELLIAS. 

I  USE  a  good  fibrous  loam,  which  is  broken  up  thor- 
oughly with  the  spade,  and  not  sieved,  which  would  take 
all  the  fiber  from  the  soil. 

Many  persons  imagine  that  the  success  in  growing  this 
plant  depends  altogether  upon  the  kind  of  soil  which  is 
used. 

I  find  that  they  are  not  particular  as  regards  the  soil. 

My  heap  is  made  up  in  July  or  August,  or  at  any  time 
during  the  spring,  summer  or  fall,  whenever  I  can  get 
good  green  sod  from  the  hills,  fence  corners,  or  from  old 
pasture  land  that  has  not  been  disturbed  for  years.  Keep 
away  from  low  bottom  and  clayey  soil. 

Cut  sods  not  over  two  inches  thick,  place  on  a  pile 
with  grass-side  down,  and  in  six  weeks  this  will  be  ready 
for  use. 

Many  growers  use  peat  soil,  leaf  mould,  and  many 
other  mixtures. 

The  loam  alone  is  what  I  use,  and  is  all  that  is  neces- 
sary for  the  growth  of  this  plant. 

Never  use  fertilizers  of  any  kind. 


loo 


CAMELLIA     IMBR[CATA. 


CHAPTER   XXXIII. 

NAMES   OF    CAMELLIAS    THAT    I    GROW    FOR   PROFIT. THE 

FOUR    BEST    WHITE    VARIETIES. 

First  and  foremost, 

Alba  Plena, 

the  old  double  white,  and  one  which   I   grow  principally. 

There  are  many  other  white  varieties,  but  none  that  equal 

this  in  any  respect,  both  plant  and  flowers  always  finding 

ready  sale. 

Second, 

Fimh-iata. 

The  fringed  white,  in  shape  and  size  of  flower  the  same  as 

alba  plena,  but  having  a  fringed  edge  on  each  petal  of  the 

flower.     This  is   a  sport  from  alba  plena.     I  have  often 

seen  them  both  on  one  plant,  one  portion  of  the  plant 

with  fringed  white,  the  other  with  plain  alba  plena. 

Third, 

Lady  Hume's  Blush. 

A  good  double  blush-white  ;    the  flowers   are   generally 

smaller  in  size  than  alba  plena.     It  is  a  very  straggling 

grower.     To  keep  it  in  good  shape,  the  knife  must  be 

used  freely. 

Fourth, 

Candidissima. 

The  late  blooming  double  white,  is  a  very  compact  grower. 

The  plants  always  have  a  shapely  appearance,  and  are  a 

very  free  flowering  kind. 

See  special  chapters  of  this  book  on  the  two  varieties 

of  Candidissima. 


CHAPTER   XXXIV. 

EIGHTEEN  OF  THE  BEST  COLORED  VARIETIES  :   SIX  DOUBLE 
RED,    SIX   DOUBLE    ROSE   COLOR,  SIX    DOUBLE    STRIPED. 

Our  catalogues  contain  an  endless  variety  of  Camel- 
lias, many  of  them  being  so  nearly  alike  that  it  is  difficult 
to  distinguish  them  apart. 

I.  Imbricata. 
Crimson  and  white ;    a   strong   grower ;    a  very  free 
flowering  kind,  and  easily  propagated  from  cuttings. 
See  Colored  Plate. 

2.    Sarah  Frost. 
Rosy   crimson ;    a   very   handsome   variety    for    late 
blooming.     It  is  free  flowering  and  of  easy  propagation. 
See  Colored  Plate. 

3.  Gilesii. 
Crimson  and  white,  half  double. 

4.    William  Penn. 
Dark  crimson,  and  of  good  form. 

5.  Lowii. 
Dark  crimson,  very  large. 

6.  Peine  des  Fleurs. 
A  red,  handsome  flower. 

SIX    ROSE    COLORED    VARIETIES. 

I.  Fordii. 
Beautiful  waxy  rose  color,  fine  form. 


CAMELLIA   CULTURE.  I03 

2.  Caleb  Cope, 
Blush  rose  color. 

3.  Henry  La  Favre. 
Dark  rose,  beautifully  formed. 

4.  Sacco. 
Light  rose,  a  very  free  flowering  variety. 

5.    Wilde  Rii. 
Bright,  rosy  pink. 

6.  Ellen. 
Rosy  red,  marked  with  white. 

SIX    STRIPED    VARIETIES. 

I.  Cup  of  Beauty. 
White,  with  pink  stripes. 

2.  Jenny  Lind. 
White,  striped  with  rose. 

3.  Mary  Kurtz. 
White,  striped  with  pink. 

4.  Lizzie  Jones. 
Pale  rose,  striped  with  pink. 

5.  Bonomiana. 
White,  striped  with  crimson. 

6.  Feast's  Perfection. 
Satiny  rose,  marked  with  white. 

For   other   varieties,   see  Camellia  Catalogue   in  this 
book. 


CHAPTER   XXXV. 

HOW  TO  BOX  AND  SHIP  CAMELLIAS. — THE  CURRENT 
PRICES  FOR  THEM. BY  WHOM  THEY  ARE  PRINCI- 
PALLY   BOUGHT. 

For  the  past  five  years  Camellia  flowers  have  not  been 
in  great  demand. 

The  present  season  I  find  them  coming  into  popularity 
again. 


Fig.  42.     Box  for  packing  Camellia  flowers. 


Rose  buds  superseded  them  for  a  while,  and  they  do 
yet,  to  a  great  extent;  but  for  large  pieces,  and  where  a 
show  is  wanted,  there  is  no  flower  to  take  the  place  of  the 
Camellia. 

Both  plant  and  flowers  are  now  commanding  fair 
prices. 

104 


CAMELLIA  CULTURE.  lOS 

My  Camellia  flowers  are  generally  sent  west  to  the 
trade,  a  few  being  sent  in  other  directions. 

For  shipping,  the  flowers  are  packed  in  wooden  boxes, 
as  Fig.  41  represents. 

These  boxes  are  lined  with  cotton,  only  one  layer  of 
flowers  being  put  in  a  box,  which  is  made  to  hold  twenty- 
five  open  flowers,  or  fifty  half  blown. 

Use  plenty  of  cotton  between  each  flower,  putting  a 
good  layer  on  the  top,  after  which,  nail  the  wooden  top 
down. 

Wrap  each  box  separately  in  good  strong  paper. 

Ten  of  these  boxes  can  be  put  in  one  bundle. 

If  the  weather  is  cold,  wrap  the  lot  of  boxes  in  a  good 
coarse  blanket,  and  they  will  carry  safely,  if  the  ther- 
mometer is  not  below  zero. 

During  the  past  season,  from  October  20th  to  Novem- 
ber I  St,  my  price  of  flowers  to  the  trade  has  been  six  dol- 
lars a  dozen,  or  forty  dollars  per  hundred. 

They  are  worth  to  me  at  the  present  time  much  more, 
for  my  retail  trade. 

There  is  no  one  desirous  of  selling  the  early  flowers 
wholesale,  as  they  command  at  retail  seventy-five  cents  to 
one  dollar  apiece. 

From  November  ist  to  December  loth  my  price  is  two 
dollars  and  forty  cents  a  dozen,  or  fifteen  dollars  per 
hundred. 

During  the  holidays,  the  prices  depend  on  the  quantity 
in  bloom. 

This  season  they  bring  fifteen  dollars  per  hundred. 

I  have  only  sent  one  thousand    Camellias  west   this 


Io6  CAMELLIA    CULTURE. 

season,  and  these  were  ordered  before  the  twenty-first  of 
December. 

Between  that  date  and  the  twenty-seventh  of  this 
month,  I  received  orders  for  over  fifteen  hundred,  which  I 
was  compelled  to  refuse  on  account  of  my  retail  orders, 
which  at  this  time  were  large. 

I  usually  have  on  hand  one  thousand  Camellias  for 
Christmas,  and  one  thousand  for  New  Year's,  to  supply 
my  home  demand. 

The  prices  they  are  now  bringing  are  fully  equal  to 
that  of  former  years. 

The  prices  I  have  named  are  for  the  white  varieties. 

The  red  Camellia  flower  is  only  worth  half  as  much 
as  the  white. 

After  the  holidays  the  prices  are  considerably  lower, 
being  worth  from  eight  to  ten  dollars  per  hundred. 

They  usually  remain  at  these  prices  until  the  first  of 
March. 

About  this  time  alba  plefta  is  becoming  scarce. 

Although  there  may  be  many  buds  on  the  bush,  very 
few  will  come  to  perfection. 

The  sap  will  now  be  running  freely,  and  the  plants 
will  be  preparing  to  make  their  young  growth  for  the 
season. 

The  late-blooming  variety,  Candidisshna,  will  now  take 
the  place  of  alba  plena,  for  double  white  Camellia  flowers, 
and  will  continue  to  bloom  until  May. 

The  price  for  the  flowers  during  these  months  ranges 
from  three  to  six  dollars  per  dozen. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

HOW     LONG    CAMELLIA    FLOWERS     WILL     KEEP    AFTER    BE- 
ING   CUT    FROM    THE    BUSH. 

A  QUESTION  which  is  often  asked,  is  how  long  will 
Camellia  flowers  keep  after  being  cut  from  the  bush. 

My  flowers  are  cut  every  morning  and  laid  on  damp 
moss  in  boxes  in  a  dark  place,  where  the  thermometer 
does  not  get  above  fifty  degrees. 

Some  days  I  only  cut  fifty  flowers,  other  days  from 
three  to  five  hundred. 

Flowers  will  keep  ten  days  or  two  weeks,  if  the  direc- 
tions are  followed. 

Give  the  flowers  a  light  sprinkle  of  clear  water  at 
night,  this  will  revive  them  and  strengthen  their  petals. 

Water  will  not  injure  the  flowers. 

Those  flowers  that  I  ship  to  a  distance  are  pulled  fresh 
and  packed  the  same  day. 

I  number  and  date  my  boxes  when  the  flowers  were 
cut  from  the  plants,  in  order  to  use  first  those  flowers  con- 
tained in  the  box  of  the  earliest  date. 

107 


CHAPTER    XXXVII. 

FERTILIZERS. WHAT      TO      USE. 

I  NEVER  use  guano  or  any  other  fertilizer  for 
Camellias. 

Use  lime  water  three  times  a  year  to  keep  the  soil 
sweet,  and  kill  the  worms  which  are  working  in  it. 

This  is  the  cause  of  so  many  plants  having  that  yellow 
and  sickly  appearance. 

To  obviate  this  trouble,  take  a  half  a  peck  of  lime,  put 
it  in  a  flour  barrel,  fill  the  barrel  with  water;  do  not  mix 
the  lime  up;  allow  it  to  stand  over  night  so  as  to  settle; 
the  next  day  it  will  be  ready  for  use. 

Be  sure  the  plants  get  a  sufficient  quantity  of  water  to 
wet  every  root  and  fiber,  and  it  will  be  only  a  few  minutes 
before  the  worms  which  have  not  already  been  killed  will 
come  to  the  top  of  the  soil. 

I  frequently  syringe  my  Camellias  with  this  water;  it 
kills  many  of  the  insects  which  are  on  the  foliage. 

Be  careful  not  to  stir  the  lime  up  from  the  bottom  of 
the  barrel  after  it  has  settled. 

It  is  only  the  lime  water  that  you  want. 

The  plants  do  not  need  to  be  whitewashed. 


1 08 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

ON    INSECTS    AND    PESTS    TO    WHICH    CAMELLIAS    ARE    SUB- 
JECT.  RED      SPIDER,      MEALY      BUG,      SCALE,      ETC. 

WASH    FOR    THE    PIPES,    ETC. 

When  plants  which  have  been  grown  in  a  limited 
quantity  have  received  the  proper  treatment,  they  will  not 
often  be  troubled  by  any  pests. 

Where  Camellias  are  grown  with  other  plants,  and  at  a 
high  temperature,  these  pests  will  be  found. 

Red  Spider 

Is  perhaps  the  worst  enemy  that  Camellias  have  to  con- 
tend with. 

It  is  very  seldom  noticed  by  the  inexperienced,  until  it 
has  almost  destroyed  the  plant. 

It  begins  its  work  on  the  under  side  of  the  foliage. 

The  insect  is  very  small,  and  resembles  or  looks  like 
flour. 

By  using  a  magnifying  glass,  you  will  see  thousands  of 
these  insects  on  one  leaf. 

If  allowed  to  remain  in  this  state,  the  top  portion  of 
the  leaf  will  lose  its  beautiful  green  color,  and  will  become 
red  or  brown,  and  in  the  course  of  a  few  months,  this  in- 
sect will  get  through  all  the  plants,  so  that  their  growth 
and  budding  will  stop,  and  the  plant  will  eventually  die. 

109 


no  CAMELLIA  CULTURE, 

To  remedy  this  evil, 

Wash  every  leaf  and  branch  with  strong  rosin,  coal  oil  or 
whale  oil  soap. 

If  properly  done,  one  application  will  be  sufficient. 

After  washing  the  plant,  syringe  twice  a  day,  with  clear 
water,  night  and  morning,  until  the  plant  shows  signs  of 
recovering. 

If  the  directions  are  followed  for  syringing,  etc.,  red 
spider  will  seldom  be  seen  among  the  plants. 

Mealy  Bug 

Is  an  insect  to  which  Camellias  are  subject. 

This  bug  can  be  easily  detected  by  its  white  tracks. 

They  are  generally  found  most  plentifully  in  the  fall  of 
the  year,  when  the  plants  are  in  bud,  and  they  are  always 
found  in  or  around  the  flower  buds. 

When  the  collection  of  plants  is  small,  you  will  not  be 
bothered  with  this  bug,  unless  the  directions  for  taking 
care  of  the  plants  have  been  neglected.  Remedy  :  one 
drop  of  coal  oil  will  be  all  that  is  necessary  to  destroy  a 
nest  of  these  bugs. 

Scale. 

A  small  but  dangerous  insect  to  get  among  the  plants. 

They  are  usually  found  in  about  the  middle  of  the 
leaf,  and  if  allowed  to  remain,  they  will  soon  get  over  the 
foliage  and  stem. 

They  stick  fast  to  the  leaf,  and  when  but  a  few  months 
old,  they  imbed  themselves  firmly  in  the  foliage,  and  can- 


CAMELLIA   CULTURE.  Ill 

not  be  removed  without  taking  a  portion  of  the  fiber  of 
the  leaf. 

My  remedy  for  this  insect  is : 

Use  water  heated  to  120  or  130  degrees.  Lay  the 
plant  on  its  side,  and  syringe  with  this  water. 

One  or  two  applications  may  be  sufficient. 

Small  plants  which  are  infested  with  this  insect  I 
throw  away. 

Another  pest. 

In  the  spring  when  the  plants  are  in  a  growing  state,  a 
black  fly  will  be  found,  but  only  on  the  young  growth. 

I  have  never  found  it  really  injurious  to  the  plants,  but 
it  gives  them  an  unhealthy  appearance. 

One  or  two  fumigatings  with  tobacco  will  destroy  these 
flies. 

The  following  wash 
I  have  used  in  all  my  houses  for  years,  to  keep  insects 
down  : 

Use  a  barrel  for  slacking  one  peck  of  lime  (as  for 
whitewash),  afterwards  add  half  a  pound  of  flour  of  sul- 
phur; stir  well  together.  Then  whitewash  all  the  pipes 
and  flues. 

This  will  not  injure  any  of  the  plants. 

Mildew  will  never  be  seen  where  this  wash  is  used. 

I  generally  wash  my  pipes  twice  during  a  season. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  whitewash  all  around  the  house. 

Wash  around  the  furnace,  the  middle  of  the  house  and 
at  the  extreme  ends. 

It  is  the  fumes  from  the  sulphur  that  is  wanted. 


CHAPTER   XXXIX. 

ON    HEATING. 

One  of  the  most  important  matters  now  to  be  con- 
sidered is  the  heating  of  your  house. 

The  best  and  most  economical  way  is  by  hot  water. 

By  this  means  of  heating  you  will  escape  the  gas  and 
smoke  which  generally  rises  from  smoke  flues. 

The  plants  will  make  stronger  growths  and  bud  more 
freely,  and  they  will  also  have  that  fine  luxuriant  foliage 
which  only  a  uniform  temperature  can  produce. 

Boilers  can  now  be  obtained,  that  will  heat  1,400  feet 
of  four-inch  pipe,  for  sixty  dollars. 

I  have  these  boilers  in  operation  in  my  houses,  and 
they  give  me  entire  satisfaction. 

Boiler  makers  say,  that  by  this  system  of  heating  there 
is  a  great  saving  of  fuel. 

I  do  not  find  them  correct  in  this  statement. 

When  the  thermometer  marks  zero  outside,  and  I  want 
extra  heat  to  keep  the  frost  out  of  my  house,  I  am  com- 
pelled to  use  coal  freely. 

I  find  it  impossible  to  have  heat  without  using  fuel. 

I  am  anxious  to  procure  the  boiler  I  so  often  hear  of, 
that  does  so  much  heating  with  such  a  small  quantity  of 
fuel. 

There  will  have  to  be  some  great  improvement  in  the 

112 


CAMELLIA   CULTURE.  II3 

system  of  boiler  making  before  we  can  get  any  great 
amount  of  heat,  without  using  plenty  of  fuel. 

Economy  in  this  manner  of  heating  is  not  to  be  gained 
in  any  saving  of  fuel,  but  it  will  be  in  saving  of  labor. 

One  boiler  will  now  do  the  work  that  it  formerly  re- 
quired six  furnaces  of  the  smoke-flue  system  to  perform. 

By  hot-water  heating,  when  the  pipes  are  full  of  water, 
and  plenty  of  fire  in  the  furnace,  you  have  all  that  is 
needed  to  do  away  with  the  great  anxiety  which  is  so 
often  felt  of  a  cold  night. 

There  is  no  danger  here  of  flues  giving  away,  and  gas 
escaping,  which  is  so  often  the  case  vrith  the  smoke  flues. 

My  experience,  which  has  been  so  dearly  bought, 
teaches  me  to  never  use  a  smoke  flue  for  a  greenhouse. 

A  boiler  and  hot  water  pipes  will  cost  but  a  trifle  more, 
in  comparison  to  the  ease  and  comfort  you  will  enjoy 
during  severe  weather,  and  also  the  advantage  to  be 
gained  in  the  health  and  vigor  of  your  stock  grown  by 
this  method  of  heating. 

I  will  here  give  the  cost  for  heating  a  house  with  boiler 
and  hot  water  pipes  (1879).  Dimensions,  span  roof 
house,  one  hundred  feet  long  by  thirty  feet  wide,  ten  feet 
in  the  center,  with  four  rows  of  pipe  on  the  front  and 
three  on  the  back,  making  in  all  seven  hundred  feet 
of  four  inch  pipe,  with  all  connections  made,  twenty 
cents  per  foot,  or  one  hundred  and  forty  dollars  for  pipe. 
The  cost  of  boiler  to  heat  the  same,  fifty-five  dollars. 
The  cost  of  boiler,  pipes,  and  everything  included,  all  the 
work  being  done  in  a  workmanlike  manner,  one  hundred 
and  ninety-five  dollars. 


114  CAMELLIA  CULTURE. 

This  size  boiler  is  calculated  to  heat  one  thousand 
feet  of  four-inch  pipe. 

I  have  only  seven  hundred  feet  of  pipe  to  this  small 
boiler. 

Not  only  during  the  mild  weather,  but  when  it  is 
intensely  cold,  the  draft  door  is  closed  to  keep  the  tem- 
perature down  to  sixty  degrees. 

To  heat  the  same  house  (1879),  at  present  prices,  with 
smoke  flues,  it  will  be  necessary  to  have  two  furnaces, 
with  flues  of  one  hundred  feet  long,  from  each  one.  The 
cost,  everything  included,  will  be  ninety  dollars. 

Smoke  Flues 

Have  been  used  by  all  of  us  for  many  years,  and  many 
thousands  are  compelled  to  use  them  at  the  present  day, 
as  a  matter  of  economy. 

It  may  be  so  in  the  first  outlay,  but  it  will  only  be  a 
short  time  before  the  flues  will  crack  and  gas  escape,  de- 
stroying more  plants  than  three  times  the  cost  of  hot 
water. 

My  experience  with  heating  by  smoke  flues  has  been 
very  unsatisfactory. 

I  have  lost  more  plants  from  gas  and  smoke  than  it 
cost  me  to  erect  the  house  in  the  first  place. 

In  very  severe  weather,  the  fires  have  to  be  urged  to 
their  full  extent,  and  I  find  that  brick  and  mortar  will  not 
stand  the  intense  heat. 

The  flues  crack  and  give  way,  allowing  the  gas  to  es- 
cape, destroying  many  plants  in  a  short  time,  and  further- 


CAMELLIA  CULTURE.  I15 

more,  by  this  system  there  is  no  regularity  of  temperature, 
and  plants  are  generally  burned  up  at  or  near  the  furnace, 
and  those  at  the  extreme  ends  of  the  house  are  freezing. 

I  have  used  the  smoke  flues  until  recently,  and  I  now 
think  they  are  better  adapted  for  a  lime  or  brick  kiln  than 
for  a  greenhouse 


CHAPTER  XL. 

SYRINGING. 

No  doubt  many  would  think  their  plants  would  be  in- 
jured by  syringing  as  frequently  as  I  have  advised,  and 
they  certainly  would  be  if  done  in  the  manner  that  is  often 
practiced,  not  only  by  amateur  florists,  but  by  growers. 

Syringing,  as  I  have  said,  is  only  intended  for  the  foli- 
age, and  not  for  the  benefit  of  the  roots  of  the  plant  when 
dry. 

Soft-wooded  plants,  which  are  re-potted  and  get  fresh 
soil  every  month  or  two,  can  be  watered  and  syringed  at  the 
same  time,  or  in  any  manner  you  think  best  for  them;  but 
for  the  Camellia,  which  is  only  re-potted  once  a  year,  and 
many  of  the  large  plants  only  once  in  three  or  five  years, 
syringing  and  watering  at  the  same  time  will  not  answer. 

Many  persons,  in  syringing,  use  water  so  freely  as  to 
fill  the  pot  with  drippings  from  the  foliage. 

This  is  not  what  I  call  dampening  the  foliage. 

For  this  special  plant,  the  work  of  syringing  the  foliage 
and  watering  the  roots  should  be  done  at  two  different 
times. 

Camellias  will  not  flourish  where  the  roots  are 
"slushed"  with  water  every  time  the  foliage  is  dampened. 

Water  the  roots  of  your  plants  only  when  they  require 
it,  and  then  let  it  be  done  thoroughly. 

There  is  nothing  in  the  growing  of  this  plant  in  which 
I  am  so  particular  as  syringing  or  dampening  the  foliage. 

116 


CAMELLIA  CULTURE.  I17 

I  consider  it  of  more  importance  than  the  kind  of  soil 
used  to  grow  the  plants. 

One  of  the  great  secrets  of  success  in  having  this  plant 
looking  in  a  fine  healthy  condition  is  to  pay  strict  atten- 
tion to  syringing. 

Few  insects  will  then  attack  your  plants,  and  they  will 
have  that  fine  glossy  green  appearance  which  only  healthy 
Camellias  will  present. 

Many  questions  have  been  asked  about  the  tempera- 
ture of  the  water, 

I  use  that  which  comes  from  our  city  supply,  and  just 
as  it  is  drawn  from  the  pipes,  during  winter  or  summer, 
warm  or  cold  weather. 

I  never  find  that  the  temperature  makes  any  difference. 


CHAPTER  XLI. 

VENTILATING    THE    CAMELLIA    HOUSES. 

This  is  another  very  important  matter  to  be  considered 
in  growing  this  plant,  as  it  seldom  receives  as  much  air  as 
is  required  to  make  it  thrive  well. 

During  the  winter  my  Camellia  houses  are  aired  every 
day  that  the  sun  shines  on  them,  whether  the  thermometer 
outside  denotes  freezing  or  not. 

Keep  the  temperature  inside  the  house  low  before 
airing. 

Do  not  allow  the  temperature,  as  many  do,  to  run  up 
to  eighty  or  one  hundred  just  before  airing. 

This  is  more  heat  than  the  plant  requires  at  any  time. 

You  cannot  perhaps  always  regulate  the  heat  from  the 
pipes  or  flues,  having  had  strong  fires  during  the  previous 
night,  but  you  can  regulate  the  temperature  during  the 
day  by  ventilation. 

In  ventilating,  do  not  pull  the  sash  half  way  down  on 
the  houses,  or  throw  open  all  the  ventilators  as  though  it 
were  a  summer  day,  as  your  plants  will  not  stand  a 
draught  of  air,  neither  will  they  thrive  if  chilled. 

Ventilate  for  plants  as  you  would  for  your  children,  if 
they  were  kept  in  a  close  room. 

Open  your  sash  or  ventilator  according  to  the  temper- 
ature you  have  in  the  house,  not  forgetting  that  even  if 
freezing  outside,  opening  the  sash  a  quarter  or  half  an 

ii8 


CAMELLIA  CULTURE.  II9 

inch  will  be  beneficial  on  a  day  when  the  sun  is  shining 
on  the  house. 

There  are  so  many  dark  and  dismal  days  during  the 
winter,  when  it  is  necessary  to  close  every  hole  and  crevice, 
that  when  it  is  possible  to  air  your  Camellias,  you  should 
do  so  by  all  means. 

Never  allow  the  doors  of  your  houses  to  be  opened  for 
ventilation  during  the  winter.  In  plain  terms,  this  is  a 
lazy  man's  way  of  doing. 

During  the  summer  months,  open  all  the  doors  and 
windows,  so  as  to  give  your  plants  all  the  air  possible. 

During  the  winter  months,  the  atmosphere  outside,  as 
well  as  inside,  must  act  as  a  guide  in  regard  to  the  time 
for  ventilating. 

As  a  general  rule,  I  gradually  begin  airing  my  houses 
about  10  A.  M.,  or  earlier  if  necessary,  giving  a  little  more 
air  at  12  m. 

About  2  p.  M.  I  begin  closing  the  ventilators,  in  order 
to  have  all  air  off  by  4  p.  M. 

Many  may  think  I  have  placed  too  much  stress  on  the 
question  of  ventilating.  If  such  persons  will  observe  the 
condition  of  plants  which  are  grown  in  a  well  and  a  poorly 
ventilated  house,  they  will  at  once  agree  with  me  in  pro- 
nouncing ventilating  to  be  a  matter  of  the  greatest  conse- 
quence. 


CHAPTER    XLIL 

ON    SHADING. TO  PREVENT    THE    FOLIAGE    FROM 

BURNING. 

In  a  former  chapter  I  recommend  whiting  and  white- 
wash, believing  it  to  be  the  best  material  to  use  for 
shading  Camellia  structures;  in  fact  I  have  used  these 
articles  myself  for  years. 

I  have,  within  a  short  time,  had  presented  to  me  a 
new  process,  which  I  think  will  far  surpass  the  untidy  use 
of  whitewash  and  whiting,  and  also  the  very  expensive 
way  of  shading  with  canvas  and  laths. 

Whitewash  is  often  used  so  thick  that  it  casts  a  gloom 
over  the  interior  of  the  house.  It  also  has  the  appearance 
of  boards  being  placed  over  the  glass  to  exclude  the 
strong  light. 

All  such  practices  are  very  unsatisfactory. 

Our  object  is  to  give  the  interior  of  the  house  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  structure  being  covered  with  ground- 
glass. 

This  new  process,  which  I  am  now  using  for  shading, 
so  far  surpasses  the  old  way,  that  I  do  not  think  that  any 
one  who  will  adopt  it  will  ever  be  willing  to  use  the  old 
wash. 

Receipt  for  the  wash. — One  gallon  of  turpentine,  one 
pint  of  boiled  linseed  oil,  well  mixed. 

This  mixture  can  be  put  on  the  glass  with  an  ordinary 

whitewash  brush. 

1 20 


CAMELLIA   CULTURE.  121 

It  is  possible  that  the  glass  will  need  to  be  washed 
twice  during  the  season. 

The  frost  will  in  all  probability  clean  the  glass  of  this 
mixture  by  the  middle  of  November. 

At  this  time  shading  can  be  dispensed  with,  as  the 
plants  will  now  require  all  the  light  that  it  is  possible  to 
give  them. 


CHAPTER  XLIII. 


ON    PACKING    PLANTS. 


I  HAVE  referred  to  the  packing  and  shipment  of 
CameUia  flowers. 

I  will  now  endeavor  to  give  my  mode  of  packing  the 
plants. 

From  the  first  of  June  until  the  last  of  September,  I 
pack  in  shallow  wooden  boxes,  as  represented  in  Fig.  42. 


Fig  43.     Box  lor  summer  packing  of  plants. 


This  box  is  twelve  inches  deep. 

Place  upright  strips  of  wood  in  each  corner  of  the  box, 
on  which  nail  a  few  laths  to  protect  the  plants  and  foli- 
age from  careless  handling. 

122 


CAMELLIA  CULTURE.  I23 

Put  one  or  two  layers  of  plants  in  a  box  in  an  upright 
position,  as  shown  in  the  engraving. 

The  plants  can  be  taken  from  the  pots  if  the  ball  of 
earth  will  hold  together. 

Put  a  little  dry  moss  around  the  ball  of  earth,  then 
wrap  in  coarse  brown  paper. 

The  plants  will  carry  safely  when  packed  in  this  way, 
if  the  time  does  not  exceed  two  weeks. 

All  the  directions  have  been  given  which  are  necessary 
for  these  months. 

For  October,  November,  December,  January,  Febru- 
ary and  March,  pack  in  close  boxes,  which  should  be 
lined  with  a  double  thickness  of  coarse  paper,  then  a  good 
layer  of  meadow  hay  on  the  bottom  and  sides  of  box. 
Use  moss  around  the  ball  of  earth  and  wrap  in  brown 
paper  both  the  ball  of  roots  and  the  foliage. 

This  paper  will  keep  the  buds  from  being  injured;  it 
will  also  prevent  the  plants  from  heating  in  the  boxes. 

Begin  packing  by  laying  one  layer  of  plants  on  the 
bottom  of  the  box,  with  three  inches  of  hay  over  them; 
then  another  layer  of  plants,  and  so  on  until  the  box  is 
filled,  not  forgetting  to  put  an  extra  layer  of  hay  over  the 
plants  before  closing  the  box,  so  that  the  plants  may  not 
shake  about  by  loose  packing. 

Pack  perfectly  solid  and  there  will  not  be  any  danger 
of  injury  to  either  the  roots  or  foliage. 

Camellia  plants  packed  in  this  way  will  keep  well  for 
two  months. 

This  manner  of  packing  is  far  superior  to  the  old  way 


124  CAMELLIA   CULTURE. 

of  placing  the  plants  on  the  sides  of  the  box,  with  strips 
placed  against  them  to  keep  them  in  position. 

Double  the  quantity  of  plants  can  be  put  in  the  same 
size  box  by  the  new  system  of  packing,  and  they  will 
reach  the  purchaser  in  much  better  condition. 

For  the  months  of  April  and  May,  I  do  not  recom- 
mend shipping  Camellia  plants,  for  it  is  only  during  these 
months  that  they  make  their  growth  for  the  year. 

Should  this  growth  be  checked,  the  result  will  be  no 
flowers  the  coming  fall  and  winter. 

The  best  months  for  shipping  this  plant  are  September, 
October  and  November. 

Three  important  matters  in  packing  and  forwarding 
during  the  winter  months,  are: 

First.  To  have  the  moss  perfectly  dry  which  is  to  be 
placed  around  the  ball  of  earth. 

Second.  Do  not  water  the  plants  the  day  they  are  to 
be  packed,  and  especially  if  they  are  to  be  sent  a  long 
distance.  I  prefer  always  to  pack  moderately  dry,  for 
plants  packed  closely  will  create  a  moisture  of  themselves. 
It  will  be  much  better  for  the  purchaser  to  receive  the 
plants  in  a  dry  condition,  for  by  soaking  them  in  water 
for  a  few  hours,  they  will  in  all  probability  recover  with 
the  loss  of  only  their  foliage;  but  if  received  in  a  wet  and 
mouldy  condition,  there  is  no  remedy  within  my  knowl- 
edge that  will  restore  them  to  their  former  health.  In  all 
probability  the  majority  of  them  will  die. 

Thirdly.  Always  have  the  plants  forwarded  by  ex- 
press; it  will  be  found  to  be  the  quickest  and  most  reli- 
able, as  well  as  the  cheapest  way  in  the  end. 


CAMELLIA  CULTURE.  I25 

I  will  give  one  instance  of  the  great  advantage  to  be 
gained  in  shipping  plants  by  express  over  that  of  freight. 

During  the  latter  part  of  December,  a  firm  in  San 
Francisco  ordered  from  me  one  hundred  Camellia  plants, 
for  which  they  paid  thirty  dollars,  giving  instructions  to 
have  them  sent  immediately  by  freight,  which  I  did. 

The  freight  on  the  box,  weighing  less  than  one  hundred 
pounds,  was  six  dollars. 

Six  weeks  after  they  were  shipped,  I  received  a  letter 
from  the  firm,  saying  the  plants  on  their  arrival  were 
found  to  be  dead. 

The  firm  acknowledged  the  packing  to  have  been  done 
in  a  superior  manner,  thereby  exonerating  me  from  all 
blame. 

The  box  was  on  the  road  six  weeks,  and  in  a  climate 
where  for  days  the  thermometer  stood  ten  or  twenty  de- 
grees below  zero. 

It  is  impossible  to  pack  for  this  extreme  cold. 

The  cost  of  plants  and  freight  was  thirty-six  dollars. 

If  sent  by  express,  the  plants  and  express  charges 
would  have  been  something  less  than  fifty  dollars,  but 
they  would  have  been  received  in  perfect  order. 

This  loss  will  not  deter  the  firm  from  ordering  again, 
but  they  will  have  them  sent  at  the  proper  season  by 
express. 


CHAPTER  XLIV. 

ON  PRUNING  LARGE  PLANTS. 

The  best  time  to  do  this  work  is  during  the  months  of 
January  and  February,  when  re-potting  or  when  examin- 
ing the  plants;  or  it  can  be  done  just  before  they  begin 
to  make  their  growth. 

As  a  general  thing,  the  growth  of  the  Camellia  plant 
for  one  season  is  only  from  two  to  four  inches. 

A  little  judgment  must  be  used  as  to  the  way  to  prune, 
and  what  to  cut  away. 

In  pruning  good  healthy  plants,  cut  all  small  and  twig- 
gy shoots  from  the  middle  of  the  plant;  also  all  branches 
that  have  dead  or  dormant  eyes,  cut  back  to  a  prominent 
eye. 

Keep  in  mind  that  there  is  nothing  so  unsightly  in  a 
collection  of  Camellias  as  a  straggling,  unshapely  plant, 
with  but  few  leaves,  and  these  on  the  top  shoots,  and  the 
plant  supported  with  sticks. 

This  plant  should  be  grown  in  such  a  way  that  it  can 
support  its  own  wood  without  the  aid  of  sticks. 

For  sickly  plants  use  the  knife  freely,  cut  well  back, 
not  looking  for  a  prominent  eye,  but  for  the  shape  of  the 
plant. 

It  will  be  of  little  consequence  should  the  plant  be 
void  of  foliage  after  this  pruning. 

126 


CAMELLIA   CULTURE.  127 

Give  good  bottom  heat  for  six  weeks,  and  they  will  put 
forth  many  fine  and  vigorous  shoots. 

Pruning,  in  this  chapter,  is  intended  only  for  plants 
ten  years  and  older. 

I  have,  in  a  former  chapter,  recommended  the  best 
way  to  prune  younger  plants. 


CHAPTER  XLV. 

THE  GREAT  NECESSITY  FOR  USING  ONLY  THE  HEALTH- 
IEST PLANTS  FOR  CUTTING,  GRAFTING  AND  INARCH- 
ING.  NO  IMPROVEMENT  TO  BE  REACHED  BY  FORC- 
ING   THE    PLANTS. 

In  looking  over  the  preceding  chapters,  I  find  that 
though  I  have  spoken  of  the  propriety  of  selecting  healthy 
plants  for  propagation,  either  by  cuttings,  by  grafting,  or 
by  inarching,  I  have  not  insisted  upon  it  perhaps  quite  as 
strongly  as  I  should,  yet  there  is  hardly  anything  con- 
nected with  the  propagation  of  the  Camellia  which  is  of 
more  importance  than  this. 

In  this  country,  only  the  single  varieties  of  the 
Camellia  Japonica,  and  but  a  very  small  portion  of  them, 
are  raised  from  the  seed. 

All  the  double  and  half  double  varieties,  and  many  of 
the  single  ones,  are  propagated  by  grafting  and  inarching, 
or  from  cuttings. 

This  is  a  necessity,  because  the  full  flowering  double 
kinds  never  perfect  seed;  and  if  they  did,  it  would  not 
be  true  to  the  parent  flower. 

These  modes  of  propagation  are  all  artificial,  and  in 

this  plant,  as  in  almost  all  others  which  are  propagated  by 

cuttings,  there  is  a  strong  tendency  to  deteriorate,  as  for 

instance  the  worthless  variety  of  candidissima  which  never 

flowers. 

128 


CAMELLIA    CULTURE.  I29 

The  only  way  to  prevent  this  tendency  is  to  select 
for  the  cuttings,  grafts  and  inarchings,  only  the  most  per- 
fect and  healthy  plants. 

One  diseased  plant  thus  used,  and  its  progeny  in  turn 
used  for  cuttings,  may  communicate  disease  and  deteriora- 
tion to  others,  and  thus  infect  a  whole  bench. 

We  value  the  Camellia  for  its  perfect  flowers,  coming 
as  they  do  at  a  season  of  the  year  when  other  white  flow- 
ers of  equal  beauty  are  not  plenty;  but  a  diseased  or  im- 
perfect plant  or  cutting  can  never  produce  perfect  flowers. 

Some  florists  have  been  either  careless  or  lacking  in 
knowledge  on  this  point,  and  their  neglect  has  resulted 
badly  for  themselves,  and  has  given  the  impression  in  some 
quarters  that  the  Camellia  must  give  place  to  other 
flowers. 

If  the  directions  I  have  given,  in  the  preceding  chap- 
ters are  carefully  followed,  Ave  shall  not  hear  so  much 
about  sickly  Camellia  plants,  with  no  flower  buds;  but 
they  will  improve,  and  we  may  yet  improve  them  so  much 
that  we  may  have  a  constant  succession  of  large  double 
white  flowers  from  October  to  May,  not  all  of  one  variety 
but  of  several,  all  blooming  at  different  times. 

This  must  not  be  attempted  by  forcing  the  plants,  as  I 
have  said  before,  because  that  will  ruin  them  in  a  very  few 
years,  but  by  propagating  earlier  and  later  varieties  which 
possess  all  the  best  characteristics  of  the  alba  plena  and 
the  free-flowering  candidissima. 
6* 


CHAPTER   XLVL 

CALENDAR    FOR    THE    MONTHS. 

January. 

Towards  the  last  of  this  month  begin  to  re-pot  those 
plants  that  require  it,  and  top-dress  others  with  fresh 
soil. 

Pick  off  all  the  dead  buds,  branches  and  yellow  leaves. 

Keep  the  house  and  plants  as  clean  as  possible. 

The  fires  during  this  month  are  generally  very  strong; 
syringe  three  or  four  times  a  week. 

The  more  heat  in  the  houses  the  more  moisture  will  be 
required  to  rid  the  plants  of  red  spider,  mealy  bug,  etc. 

Grafting 

Can  be  done  this  month,  but   I  prefer  July  and  August. 

Plants  which  were  inarched  last  July  will  now  require 
the  twine  taken  off,  for,  by  this  time,  the  inarch  should  be 
firmly  united  and  able  to  support  itself. 

Cut  away  all  the  single  stock  down  to  the  inarch,  so 
that  it  may  heal  over  and  not  give  an  unsightly  appear- 
ance to  the  plant  in  after  years;  re-pot  or  top-dress,  as  the 
plant  may  require. 

Those  plants  which  were  grafted  last  July  should  be 
taken  out  of  the  pots  and  the  roots  examined. 

Most  of  them  will  need  to  have  a  portion  of  the  earth 

130 


CAMELLIA   CULTURE.  I3I 

taken  from  the  ball,  and  it  must  be  renewed  with  good 
fresh  soil. 

Many  of  the  inarched  and  grafted  plants  would  be 
much  improved  by  being  topped  at  this  time,  if  you  want 
low  and  bushy  plants;  but  by  so  doing,  the  plants  would 
not  afford  a  good  straight  stem  to  inarch  from  in  July. 

I  would  allow  them  to  go  without  topping,  if  I  wished 
to  have  wood  to  inarch  from  again  the  following  July,  but 
if  not,  I  would  top  them  freely. 

Alba  plena,  and  other  Camellia  cuttings  which  were 
placed  in  the  sand-bed  last  November,  will  require  bottom 
heat  this  month. 

Once  during  this  month  water  the  plants  thoroughly 
with  lime  water,  to  kill  the  worms  and  other  pests. 

February. 

Finish  re-potting  all  Camellia  plants  that  were  not  at- 
tended to  last  month. 

Pruning  should  also  be  done  this  month;  treat  the 
plants  the  same  as  for  January. 

About  the  last  of  the  month,  gradually  lower  the  tem- 
perature for  the  cuttings  that  were  placed  in  the  sand-bed 
last  November,  bringing  it  down  to  fifty  degrees  in 
March. 

During  this  month,  the  flowers  of  alba  plena  will  be 
getting  scarce,  and  by  the  end  of  the  month  nearly  all 
will  have  bloomed  that  will  come  to  perfection. 

The  flowers  of  Camellia  catididissima  will  begin  to 
open  near  the  close  of  this  month. 


132  CAMELLIA  CULTURE. 

March. 

Almost  all  the  white  Camellias  will  be  through  flow- 
ering. 

Although  the  plants  have  buds  on,  very  few  will  come 
to  perfection. 

The  sap  is  now  running  freely,  and  the  plants  are 
about  ready  to  make  their  young  growth  for  the  coming 
season. 

Keep  them  a  little  warmer  just  at  this  time,  say  sixty 
to  seventy  degrees. 

Give  them  plenty  of  room  and  all  the  light  that  is  pos- 
sible between  the  plants. 

Have  the  glass  shaded  with  whiting,  lime  or  the  new 
mixture,  to  prevent  the  strong  rays  of  the  sun  from  burn- 
ing the  foliage. 

Syringe  three  times  a  week. 

Fumigating  with  tobacco  will  be  beneficial  to  the 
plants  during  this  month. 

The  plants  are  now  in  a  growing  state,  and  will  re- 
quire more  water  than  at  any  other  season. 

Inarching 

Can  be  done  this    month,  but  when  there  are  hundreds 
to  be  inarched  I  prefer  the  months  of  July  and  August, 

April. 

Many  of  the  plants  will  be  still  growing. 
Treat  the  same  as  for  last  month. 


CAMELLIA   CULTURE.  '  133 

Syringe  with  lime  water,  and  also  fumigate  with  to- 
bacco. 

I  do  not  recommend  any  one  to  buy  Camellia  plants, 
particularly  alba  plena,  in  this  month  or  May,  especially  if 
they  are  to  be  transported  far,  as  it  will  be  apt  to  interfere 
with  their  young  growth. 

May. 

The  plants  will  now  be  ripening  their  wood. 

At  this  time  more  air  is  required,  and  both  top  and 
side  ventilation  is  necessary. 

Keep  the  house  at  the  lowest  temperature. 

Close  the  ventilators  at  night. 

Set  the  red  varieties  outside,  and  give  the  space  to  the 
white  flowering  varieties  that  are  going  to  be  housed  dur- 
ing the  summer. 

Where  Camellias  are  grown  with  other  plants,  I  would 
advise  all  to  be  set  outside,  both  red  and  white. 

Plunge  the  pots  in  the  earth  up  to  the  rim. 

Keep  them  from  the  drip  of  trees,  etc. 

Syringe  three  times  a  week. 

Take  all  the  plants  off  the  staging. 

If  possible  keep  them  on  the  ground  floor,  and  farther 
from  the  glass  than  during  the  winter  months, 

June. 

The  plants  will  now  be  forming  their  buds. 
Give  them  all  the  air  that  is  possible,  both  day  and 
night. 


134  CAMELLIA   CULTURE, 

Keep  the  house  cool  by  shading  the  glass  and  watering 
the  pathways  during  the  middle  of  the  day. 
Syringe  as  for  the  month  of  May. 

The  Cuttings 

Which  were  put  in  the  sand-bed  last  November  should 
now  be  thoroughly  rooted,  and  ready  for  pots  and  soil. 

July. 

The  buds  will  now  be  formed. 

Give  the  plants  the  same  treatment  as  for  last  month. 

Inarching  and  grafting  can  be  done  successfully  dur- 
ing this  month. 

Those  plants  that  were  inarched  last  summer  will  do 
to  "work"  on  the  stock  at  this  time. 

If  the  weather  during  this  month  is  hot  and  dry, 
syringe  the  Camellias  that  are  out  in  the  open  air  fre- 
quently, and  they  will  be  greatly  benefited  by  it. 

August. 

Shade,  air  and  syringe  the  same  as  for  last  month. 

The  grafting  and  inarching,  if  not  completed  in  July, 
may  be  continued  this  month. 

If  the  white  varieties  are  kept  in  the  greenhouse,  they 
should  be  carefully  watched,  for  pests  are  apt  to  infest 
them;  and  syringe  daily  during  this  month. 

September, 
Towards  the  middle  of  this  month,  house  those  plants 
which  were  put  out  in  May. 


CAMELLIA  CULTURE.  135 

Keep  them  up  as  near  the  glass  as  is  possible. 

Give  the  white  varieties  the  best  positions. 

The  air  must  be  taken  off  in  ih^  afternoon,  and  the 
house  closed  as  if  it  was  cold  weather. 

Do  not  let  the  plants  have  a  check  this  month. 

Water  only  those  plants  that  are  dry. 

Use  lime  water  this  month. 

"Wash  those  which  are  infected  with  red  spider,  mealy 
bug,  etc. 

Those  plants  which  were  inarched  in  July  will  now  be 
ready  to  be  topped  and  cut  from  the  parent  plant. 

The  grafted  plants  will  be  firmly  united,  and  the  sash 
can  be  taken  off — the  frame  inside  the  greenhouse. 

October. 

Remove  all  shading  from  the  glass. 

Allow  the  plants  to  have  the  full  rays  of  the  sun  from 
this  time  until  February  or  March,  or  until  you  see  the 
foliage  beginning  to  burn. 

A  little  fire  this  month,  say  twice  a  week,  will  greatly 
benefit  the  plants. 

It  will  keep  many  of  the  buds  from  falling  off,  and  the 
flowers  will  be  much  finer;  it  will  also  dry  up  the  damp- 
ness which  is  so  frequently  found  in  Camellia  houses  dur- 
ing this  month,  which  is  caused  by  the  heavy  syringing 
during  the  summer. 

Be  careful  in  watering.    . 

Syringe  twice  a  week. 

Plenty  of  air  when  the  day  is  fine. 


136  CAMELLIA   CULTURE. 

Novetnber. 

Many  of  the  white  varieties  will  begin  blooming  this 
month. 

Air  and  syringe  as  for  last  month. 

Keep  temperature  of  house  ranging  from  fifty  to  fifty- 
five  degrees. 

All  Camellia  cuttings  should  be  placed  in  sand-bed  or 
box  this  month. 

December. 

Towards  the  middle  or  last  of  this  month,  the  plants, 
especially  alba  plena  and  the  blush  and  rose  varieties,  will 
be  at  their  height  in  flowering. 

After  the  fifteenth,  the  flowers  are  usually  in  great  de- 
mand at  high  prices. 

Air  as  directed  for  October  and  November. 

Keep  the  temperature  of  the  house  at  between  fi.'ty 
and  fifty-five  degrees,  Fahrenheit. 

The  weather  is  usually  colder  this  month,  and  more 
artificial  heat  is  required. 

Syringe  three  to  four  times  a  week. 


CHAPTER  XLVII. 

CAMELLIA    CATALOGUE. 

Our  catalogues  contain  an  almost  endless  list  of  dif- 
ferent varieties  of  Camellias.  Many  of  them  are  so  near 
alike  that  it  will  be  almost  impossible  to  distinguish  them 
apart  when  in  flower. 

In  a  previous  chapter  I  have  named  twenty-two  vari- 
eties, which  I  grow  principally,  and  can  recommend  them 
as  being  amongst  the  best  that  are  advertised  in  any 
catalogue. 

Those  that  I  name  in  the  following  list,  and  which  I 
know  to  be  good,  I  mark  thus  (*),  although  there  may  be 
others  in  the  list  which  are  equally  good,  and  perhaps 
better,  but  I  have  never  seen  them  in  flower  to  judge  of 
their  merits  : 

*Alba  Plena,  old  double  white. 
*Alexina,  blush  white,  spotted  carmine, 

Albicans,  white. 
*Adrian  le  Brune,  rose. 
*A.  J.  Downing,  satiny  rose,  marked  white. 

Americana,  blush. 

Angelo  Cocchi,  carnation,  striped. 

Antoinetta  Lomellini,  rose  and  white. 
*Archduchess  Augusta,  violet  crimson. 

Aspasia,  bright  red,  marked  with  white. 

Aulica  Lodiges,  pale  rose. 

137 


138  CAMELLIA   CULTURE. 

Barnii,  crimson  and  white. 
*Baron  de  Vriere,  rose,  pale  center. 
*Baltimorea,  crimson  and  white. 

Belle  Romana,  rose,  striped. 

Benneyi,  crimson,  white  center. 
*Bonomiana,  white,  striped  with  crimson. 
*Brooklyana,  pink,  white  spots. 

Caleb  Cope,  blush  rose. 
*Candidissima,  white,  fine  form. 

Candor,  white. 
*Carswelliana,  dark  crimson. 

Centifolia,  deep,  dark  rose. 

Centifolia  Carnea,  delicate  flesh. 
*Chalmerii,  perfect  bright  pink. 
*Chandlerii,  dark  red. 

*Contessa  Lavinia  Maggi,  white,  shaded  crimson. 
*Countess  of  Derby,  white,  striped  rose. 
*Countess  of  Orkney,  white,  striped  carmine. 
*Cup  of  Beauty,  white,  striped  pink. 

Delicata,  blush. 
*Donklerii,  half  double,  crimson  and  white. 
*Dunlop's  Imbricata,  rose  and  white. 
*Dunlop's  New  White. 

Elata,  violet  crimson. 
*Ellen  Mackenzie,  rose  red. 

Emilia  Campione,  rose  carmine. 

Emilia  Gavazzi,  rose,  white,  striped. 
*Eximia,  deep  red. 
*Feast's  Perfection,  satiny  rose. 
*Fimbriata,  fringed  white. 


CAMELLIA  CULTURE.  1 39 

*Fordii,  rose. 

Giardini  Schmitz,  rose  and  white. 
*Gilesii,  crimson  and  white  half  double. 

General  Lafayette,  bright  rose. 

Grahamii,  blush  white. 
*Henri  Le  Favre,  dark  rose. 
*Helen,  rosy  red. 
*Hempsteadii,  crimson. 
*Imbricata,  crimson  and  white. 
*Iride,  bright  rose. 
*Jeffersonii,  bright  crimson. 
*Jenny  Lind,  white,  pink  striped. 

Jubilee,  blush  white. 

Jupiter,  salmon,  striped  white. 

Kingii,  white  and  rose. 
*Lady  Hume's  Blush,  delicate  blush. 

Lady  Kyle,  blush. 
*Landrethii,  pale  rose. 
*La  Reine,  white,  striped  with  carmine. 

La  Puce,  white,  striped  red. 
*Lizzie  Jones,  rose,  striped  red. 
*Lowii,  dark  red. 

Lucullus,  deep  red. 
*Madam  Ambroise  Vferschaffelt,  white,  striped  carmine. 

Madam  Lebois,  bright  rose. 

Madam  Beauvois,  light  rose. 

Mammoth,  red  and  white. 

Marchioness  of  Salisbury,  red  and  white,  variegated. 
*Maria  Teresa,  blush,  white  spots. 

Marie  Morren,  white,  spotted. 


I40  CAMELLIA   CULTURE. 

*Mary  Kurtz,  white,  striped  pink. 
*Mary  Edmondson,  white. 

Mathotiana,  deep  red. 

Mathotiana  Alba,  large  white. 
*Miniata,  dark  rose. 
*Miniata  Striata,  red  and  white. 
*Miniata  Violacea,  violet  and  white. 
*Mrs.  Lurman,  crimson,  spotted  pink. 
*Mrs.  Abby  Wilder,  white,  striped  pink. 
*Mrs.  Cope,  white,  pink  stripes. 

Mrs.  Dombrain,  delicate  pink. 
*Mrs.  Fetters,  crimson. 

Mrs.  Gunnell,  Avhite. 

Mrs.  Ritchie,  white  and  rose. 

Miss  Percival,  white. 

Monarch,  rich  crimson. 
*Myrtifolia,  dark  rose. 
*Myrtifolia  Alba,  white. 

Napoleon,  white,  striped  red. 

Nicholsonii,  pink,  veined  white. 
*Palmer's  Perfection,  deep  red,  banded  with  white. 

Picta,  pale  rose,  striped. 
*Prince  Albert,  white,  tipped  carmine. 

Princess  Mathilde,  bright  rose. 
*Princess  Bacciochi,  crimson  and  white.  [white. 

*Prince  Frederick  William,  deep  crimson,  marked  with 
*Queen  of  Denmark,  crimson. 
*Queen  Victoria,  brilliant  red  striped. 

Reine  des  Beauties,  clear  rose. 
*Reine  des  Fleurs,  deep  red. 


CAMELLIA  CULTURE.  H^ 

Rosea  Triumphans,  dark  violet  rose. 

Rio  Leopold,  rose  and  white. 

Rubens,  deep  rose. 
*Sacco,  pale  rose. 
*Sarah  Frost,  rosy  crimson. 
*Serratifolia,  crimson  and  white. 
*Sherwoodii,  dark  rose. 
^Sovereign  (Low's),  creamy  white. 
Spinea,  white,  pink  stripes. 
Stella,  rosy  carmine,  striped  white. 

*Stiles'  Perfection,  rose  striped. 
Teutonia,  rose  and  white. 

*Tricolor,  single  white,  red  striped. 

*Variegata,  rosy  crimson,  with  white. 

*Valderado,  crimson  and  white. 

*Virgin  di  Colle  Beato,  white,  spiral  flower. 

*Wilderii,  bright  rosy  pink. 

*William  Penn,  dark  crimson. 

*William  IV,  fine  rose  color. 


BOOKS  ON  FLORICULTURE. 


I  HAVE  frequent  inquiries  as  to  which  are  the  best 
books  for  beginners,  and  those  who  are  seeking  general 
information  as  regards  Floriculture,  etc. 

I  have  read  the  following  works,  and  have  found  they 
contain  more  practical  knowledge  and  information  than 
any  other  books  that  have  yet  been  issued  from  the  Ameri- 
can press  : 

GARDENING   FOR   PROFIT. 

A  guide  to  the  successful  cultivation  of  the  market  and 

family  garden. 

By  Peter  Henderson. 


GARDENING   FOR   PLEASURE. 

A  guide  to  the  amateur  in  the  fruit,  vegetable  and  flower 

garden,  with  full  directions  for  the  greenhouse, 

conservatory  and  window  garden. 

By  Peter  Henderson. 


PRACTICAL   FLORICULTURE. 

A  guide  to  the  successful  cultivation  of  the  florist's  plants. 

For  the  amateur  and  professional  florist. 

By  Peter  Henderson. 


Price  of  each  book,  post-paid,  %\  50,  and  can  be  had  at 
any  seedsman. 

142 


